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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



LIFE SCENES OE THE MESSIAH. 







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LIFE SCENES 



OP THE 



MESSIAH. 



BY 



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REV. RUFUS W^ CLARK, 

AUTHOR OF "memoir OF EMERSON," "HEAVEN AND ITS EMBLEMS," 
"lectures TO YOUNG MEN," ETC. 




BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED BY JOHN P. JEWETT AND COMPANY. 
CLEVELAND, OHIO: 

JETVETT, PROCTOR, AND WORTHINGTON. 
NEW YORK : SHELDON, LAMPORT AND BLAKEMAN. 
185 5. - 






Eiitered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by 
JOHN P. JEWETT & CO. 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachnsetts. 



CAMBRIDGE : 

ALLEN AND FARNHAM, STEREOTYPERS AND PRINTERS. 



INTRODUCTORY NOTE 



This volume goes forth as a messenger to those 
who believe the " truth as it is in Jesus.'' It invites 
them to meditate upon the virtues and mission of 
their illustrious Redeemer, and mingle in those scenes 
of thrilling interest which constitute a prominent part 
of his history and labors. 

The great force and beauty of the Christian dis- 
pensation lie in the fact, that every principle ad- 
vanced by its founder, was illustrated in his life. He 
gave to the world a system of theology, not only 
surpassingly rich and sublime in its doctrines, and 
glorious in its unfoldings of immortal blessedness, 
but associated with a character eminent for holiness, 
benevolence, and every divine perfection. He lived 
out his own system, taught by his deeds as well as 
his words, and thus gained an imperishable influence, 
and rendered his Gospel, " the power of God and the 
wisdom of God." 

And so varied were the circumstances into which 
he was thrown, and the classes of men with wiiom 



VI PREFACE. 

he mingled, that something may be fomid in his his- 
tory suited to every condition of mind, and every 
want of the human heart. Would the Christian 
advance in the divine life, — be fortified against the 
trials incident to his earthly career, and receive the 
highest stimulus to press forward for the prizes of 
immortality, let him study the character, and follow 
in the footsteps of his Redeemer. Rather than 
depend upon the teachings of men and systems 
of theology, let him go directly to the fountainhead 
of all truth. For one hour of communion with 
Christ, will afford him clearer views of duty, richer 
stores of knowledge, and a higher spiritual enjoy- 
ment, than whole days spent with the wisest of 
human authors. The electric influence thus ob- 
tained, will quicken his whole being ; and the pulsa- 
tions of his spiritual life will throb in sympathy with 
that great heart which is the vital power of religion, 
and the central force of the moral universe. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

I. The Forerunner 1 

II. Song of the Angels 16 

III. Visit of the Wise Men 27 

IV. Temptation in the Wilderness . . . • 41 
V. His Mighty Deeds 54 

VI. Purification of the Temple . . . .65 

VII. Interview with Nicode3ius .... 77 

VIII. The Samaritan Woman 91 

IX. Preaching upon the Mount .... 104 

X. Christ walking on the Sea . . . .117 

XL The Transfiguration . . . . . . 131 

XII. Christ receiying Little Children . . . 144 

XIII. Interview with the Rich Young Man . . 156 

XIV. The Raising of Lazarus 170 

XV. The Triumphal Entry 182 

XVI. Weeping over Jerusalem . . . . . 196 



Vlll CONTENTS. 

XVII. Description of the Last Judgment . , 209 

XVIII. Celebration or the Passover .... 222 

XIX. Agony in Gethsemane 234 

XX. Treachery of Judas 248 

XXI. The Trial and Condemnation . . . 261 

XXII. The Crucifixion 276 

XXIII. Resurrection of the Messiah . . . 292 

XXIV. The Walk to Emmaus ...... 305 

XXV. The Ascension 317 



LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 



L 

THE FOEERUNNEE. 



" I AM THE yOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, MAKS- 
STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD> AS SAID THE PROPHET 

ESAiAS." — St. John i. 23. 

Around none of the sacred characters brought to 
view in the Scriptures, does there gather a more 
thrilling and melancholy interest, than around John 
the Baptist. Whether we regard his life of self- 
denial and toil, or the importance and sublimity of 
his mission, or his tragical death, we find enough to 
excite the deepest sympathy and admiration. As a 
man, he possessed the most eminent virtues, energy, 
modesty, an entire consecration to his work. As the 
forerunner of the Messiah, he stood as the connecting 
link between the Mosaic and the Christian dispensa- 
tion, fulfilling the utterances of ancient prophets, 
and preparing the way for the advent of the Son of 
God. As a martyr, his name comes down to us 
associated with the noblest moral principle, and 

1 



d LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

highest Christian heroism. The Great Teacher him- 
self, who knew the hearts of all men, bore testimony 
to his exalted character and illustrious position : 
" Verily I say unto you, among them that are born 
of women, there hath not risen a greater than John 
the Baptist." 

Throughout Judea there was a general expectation 
that a harbinger would announce the coming of 
Christ, and prepare the minds of the people for his 
reception. The propet Isaiah, in those glowing vis- 
ions which he had of the Messiah's reign, beheld the 
illustrious forerunner, and comforts Jerusalem with 
the announcement, " The voice of him that crieth in 
the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, 
make straight in the desert a highway for our God." 
Malachi, the last of the prophets, says, speaking in 
the name of the Lord, " Behold I will send my mes- 
senger, and he shall prepare the way before me." It 
being customary among the oriental nations for a 
herald to go before a distinguished prince or hero, 
and make suitable preparations for his reception, it 
was proper that the approach of the King of kings 
and Lord of lords, should be formally announced, 
and that the hearts of men should be made ready 
for his reception. Many supposed that this duty 
would be performed by the prophet Elijah, in accord- 
ance with the declaration of Malachi, " Behold, I 
will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming 
of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." This 
expectation was increased by the fact that Ehjah had 
not suffered death, but was translated in a chariot to 
the heavenly regions. It was generally believed that 



THE FORERUNNER. 3 

in an invisible form he hovered over the Jewish na- 
tion to protect it from danger, and the people were 
looking for his bodily appearance upon the earth. 

But the true intent of the prophecy of Malachi, is 
given in the announcement which the angel made to 
Zacharias respecting his son. " He shall be great in 
the sight of the Lord, and shall be filled Avith the 
Holy Ghost. Many of the children of Israel shall 
he turn to the Lord. And he shall go before him in 
the spirit and power of Elias^ to turn the hearts of 
the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the 
wisdom of the just ; to make ready a people pre- 
pared for the Lord." In this sense Christ recognized 
the prophet Elijah in John the Baptist, and assured 
his disciples that Elias had come. 

In considering the character and mission of the 
forerunner of Jesus, our attention is first directed to 
the extraordinary circumstances connected with his 
birth. While his father, the aged priest Zacharias, 
was ministering at the altar in the temple, and the 
people without were engaged in prayer, suddenly 
there appeared before him an angel, who announced 
that he should have a son who should be great in 
the sight of the Lord, filled with the Holy Ghost, 
and prepare the way for the Messiah. The priest, 
though a man eminent for his piety and devotion, 
was greatly terrified, and could scarcely credit what 
he saw and heard. The angel perceiving his fear 
and unbelief, said to him, " I am Gabriel that stand 
in the presence of God : and am sent to speak unto 
thee, and to show thee these glad tidings." The 
birth of the forerunner of Jesus was an event of so 



4 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

much importanccj that a being who dwelt near to 
the throne of the Eternal, and stood in the presence 
of the Majesty of Heaven, was commissioned to 
announce the glad tidings. We cannot wonder that 
the aged servant of the Lord was startled by the 
presence and voice of such a visitant. He might, at 
first, have supposed that he had come to bring alarm- 
ing intelligence to the Jewish nation ; to announce 
some dreadful calamity that would befall the people. 
For although in the early history of the Jews, angels 
not unfrequently appeared in visible form, yet for a 
long time no such spectacle had been witnessed, 
even by the highest and most favored officers in the 
church. The mere appearance, therefore, of an an- 
gelic form after so long a period, was calculated to 
excite the most intense anxiety. It was usual, while 
the priest was offering incense in the holy place, for 
the people in the outer courts of the temple, to spend 
the season in silent prayer, and to await with much 
interest the return of the priest. If he was detained 
longer than they expected, they became alarmed lest 
some divine judgment might be in store for them. 
In this instance the stay of Zacharias being pro- 
tracted beyond the usual time, a profound anxiety 
pervaded the whole multitude. As soon as he ap- 
peared they perceived, by the expression of his coun- 
tenance, and by his inability to speak, that some- 
thing remarkable had happened. The awe and 
reverence with which the worship of the temple was 
regarded, and the deep mysteries connected with the 
holy places into which only the priests were permit- 
ted to enter, added to the excitement : and the fact 



THE FORERUNNER. O 

that he could not give utterance to his thoughts, nor 
describe what he had seen, greatly increased the 
curiosity and apprehensions of the people. They 
must have inferred from these circumstances, that 
the vision was connected with some matter of great 
national interest. 

The promise which the angel made to the venera- 
ble and devoted priest having been fulfilled, his 
power of speech was restored, and he praised God, 
saying, " Blessed be the Lord God of Israel ; for he 
hath visited and redeemed his people." 

Of the early history of John the Baptist, we know 
but little. St. Luke informs us that " the child grew 
and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts 
till the day of his showing unto Israel." From this 
language we need not infer that his entu'e childhood 
and youth were spent in the desert, for this would 
have been both unnatural and unnecessary. The 
most probable supposition is, that for several years 
he was under the nurture and tuition of his parents, 
of whom it is recorded, " they were both righteous be- 
fore God, walking in all the commandments and oxdi- 
nances of the Lord blameless." As the son of a priest 
he belonged to a class distinguished in tliat country 
for their knowledge and intellectual culture, and he 
would naturally receive the highest educational ad- 
vantages. Especially would he be thoroughly trained 
in the doctrines of theology and Biblical literature. 
His pious father knowing the honorable and exalted 
station which his son would occupy, doubtless spared 
no pains to qualify him for his sublime mission. But 
as his parents were aged at the time of his birth, it 

1^ 



6 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

is quite probable that they may have died before he 
reached the age of thirty years, the period when he 
formally received his commission from Heaven. The 
ties of home and kindred being thus sundered, and 
finding little congenial to his taste and feelings in 
the society around him, he may at that time have 
retired to the solitudes of the desert. But it is not 
material to fix upon the precise day or year, when he 
went forth into the wilderness to complete his prepa- 
ration for the great work before him. It is enough 
for us to know, that amid the mountains and rugged 
cliffs and dark forests toward the Dead Sea, this 
wonderful man poured out his soul before God in 
Cvarnest supplication, meditated upon the infinite per- 
fections of the Deity, and upon the sublime mission 
of Him, for w^hose advent he was to prepare the 
nations. Amid these vast solitudes, the silence of 
which was only broken by the sighing of the winds, 
or the rush of the mountain streams, we find the 
forerunner cultivating that purity of character, sim- 
plicity of manners, and energy of purpose, which 
shone so conspicuously in his public ministry. The 
very mountains around him seem to impart their 
grandeur to his soul. The wild winds as they sweep, 
at night, by his cavern home, seem to tell him of the 
wilder passions of men, to contend with which, he 
must gird himself The flowers that line his path- 
way are the smiles of a Father, who will watch over 
him, and care more for him than for the lilies of the 
valley. The stars at night are so many bright mes- 
sengers, that come forth to bid him reverence and 
worship the infinite Creator. 



THE FORERUXNER. 7 

For his food he is content to receive the spontane- 
ous productions of the desert, "locusts and wild 
honey," which were used by the poorest classes in 
that region of country. For clothing, instead of the 
soft raiment of kings, he wore a robe, such as the 
ancient prophets and poor people were accustomed 
to wear, made of camel's hair, or of hair and wool 
mixed, and bound around by a broad leather gh'dlo- 
Such dresses, we are told, may be every day seen in 
the Syro-Arabian countries, and somewhat similar 
ones are used in the interior nations of South Africa. 

We need not suppose that this instance of retire- 
ment from the world was an isolated one. Josephus 
informs us that many pious Jews, disheartened in view 
of the corruption of the people, withdrew to desert 
places, and devoted themselves to acts of worship, 
and the religious instruction of any w^ho might resort 
to them. And in Scripture history, John could trace 
a long line of illustrious predecessors, whom God 
had prepared in the wilderness, for important and 
glorious achievements. Abraham, in whose seed 
all the nations of the earth were to be blessed, was 
commanded to leave his home and go forth as a pil- 
grim to a strange land. In his journeyings, he ac- 
quired that moral discipline and strong faith in God, 
which render his name so illustrious. Moses, after 
having enjoyed the high advantages and honors of 
Pharaoh's court, became an exile in the land of 
Midian, and followed the humble occupation of a 
shepherd. Far from the attractions and splendors of 
a royal family, he spent years in the lonely wilder- 
ness, in self-discipline, communion with God, and 



8 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

preparation for the sublime work that was before 
him. Nor is there a more thrilling history than that 
of the wanderings of the ancient church under his 
leadership, for forty years in the wilderness. "We al- 
most behold the vast procession moving forward, 
guided by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by 
night ; preserving the ark of the covenant, protected 
by a divine hand from surrounding idolatry, and 
educated by the most wonderful displays of omnipo- 
tent power ever made to man. 

The ancient prophets, too, were familiar with cav- 
erns and with the wilds of the desert. Driven, as 
they often were from the presence of kings, they fled to 
the mountains, God's great temples, where they bowed 
in worship, and gathered new strength to assail the 
prevailing systems of iniquity. Elijah found his 
home in the desert. The rocks, trees, flowers, and 
birds, were his companions. He loved to gaze upon 
the sublime and beautiful scenery that bore the im- 
press of his Father's skill and goodness; loved to 
listen to the music of gushing fountains and mur- 
muring brooks ; loved to feel that inspiration of nature 
that lifted his soul to nature's God. 

The time having arrived for John to enter upon 
his public ministry, he leaves the solitudes of the 
desert and draws near to the villages and cities of 
Judea. Ilis whole appearance is calculated to make 
a deep impression upon the popular mind. His 
habits of life ; the themes upon which he has long 
meditated ; his frequent commuliions with the Deity, 
all qualified him to be an earnest and successful Re- 
former. He comes forth full of reverence for the 



THE FORERUNNER. 9 

ancient faith, and full of indignation at the hypocrisy 
and iniquities of the people. He comes imbued 
with the spirit of the prophets, and fired with a noble 
enthusiasm to follow in their footsteps, and fulfil his 
great mission. 

The state of the Jewish nation at this period has 
been often described by writers upon Biblical history. 
In addition to the corruption of the priesthood, and 
the formalism into which the true worship of Je- 
hovah had degenerated, the influence of the Roman 
government was most disastrous upon all the inter- 
ests of the nation. The marks of the long con- 
tinued cruelty and despotism of Pontius Pilate were 
everywhere discernible. The spirit of the Jews was 
broken, their pride humbled, and their religion treated 
with contempt. The rite§ and forms of worship 
were only tolerated. The Sanhedrim was permitted 
to retain but little more than the show of authority. 
The office of the high-priest was at the disposal of 
the Roman governor, and the most sacred usages of 
the church were subject to Pagan interference. Dif- 
ferent sects were embittered against each other, and 
every thing was done to fan the flame of jealousy 
and animosity. Even the idolatrous standards of 
the Roman empire were unfurled within the walls of 
Jerusalem, and the presence of foreign soldiers and 
tax-gatherers constantly reminded the people of their 
degradation. Exasperated by their oppressors, and 
swayed by so many conflicting influences, they were 
ready to embark in the most treasonable plots or be 
swept along by the wildest forms of fanaticism. 
Some clung to the hope that a deliverer would ere- 



10 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

long appear, while others in despair heaped exe- 
crations upon the tyrants who enslaved them. 

In the midst of this storm of fierce passions and 
fiery excitements, the herald of the Messiah appears. 
His majestic form is seen moving along the banks of 
the sacred Jordan. The tidings of his approach 
fly quickly through the land, and multitudes of all 
classes and sects flock to the river to listen to his 
message. A strong interest is at once awakened. 
'Curiosity is aroused, and the hearts of the vast as- 
sembly are thrilled by the stirring words that fall 
from the lips of the great Reformer. He stands 
before them fresh from his school of discipline ; drip- 
ping with the dews of the wilderness ; his garment a 
type of his rugged and stern nature, his countenance 
beaming with devotion ; his eye kindled by the fire 
of an intense enthusiasm, and his lips bearing the 
stamp of a resolution that overawes the multitude. 
In a voice that seems to come from the depths of 
eternity, he proclaims that the " kingdom of Heaven 
is at hand." 

Among the characteristics of this great Reformer, 
we are struck, in the first place, ivith his boldness and 
energy. He throws himself at once into the midst 
of the people, and assails, with an unsparing hand, 
the system of iniquity around him. He rebukes, 
exhorts, warns the multitude who flock around him, 
with a fearlessness even greater than that displayed 
by the prophet Elijah. Opposition, instead of prompt- 
ing him to flee to the desert, as in the case of that 
ancient prophet, only urges him forward. Seeing 
many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his 



THE FORERUNNER. 11 

baptism, instead of feeling honored by their presence, 
and adapting his instructions to their position and 
prejudices, he opens upon them with this salutation: 
'• Oh generation of vipers, who hath warned you to 
flee from the wrath to come ? " He does not stop to 
weigh his words, or soften down his epithets, or 
inquire what effect his utterances will have upon his 
popularity. Knowing the deep hypocrisy and pre- 
tended sanctity of these Pharisees, — perceiving that 
they were approaching him with no good intentions, 
or real desires to know the truth, — conscious that 
their formalism must be broken into, and their cor- 
rupt systems demolished, to prepare the way for the 
coming of the Lord, he denounced them in terms 
such as the exigencies of the case demanded. He 
intended that they should feel the force of his words, 
and be made to realize their true position before God 
and their fellow men. He calls upon them to bring 
forth fruits meet for repentance. They pretended to 
repent; but he wishes a genuine work wrought in 
those who are to become his disciples. He wishes to 
have sins not only confessed, but forsaken. They 
prided themselves upon being the chosen people of 
God, and deemed their Abrahamic descent as the 
essential requisite to salvation. But the Reformer 
tells them that God is able from the very stones in 
the streets to raise up children unto Abraham. If 
they disgrace by their lives their illustrious ancestor, 
the kingdom of God will be set up in other hearts, 
and strangers will come in and reap the benefits that 
they reject. 

To place the matter in the clearest and most fore- 



12 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

ible light before his liearers, John adds : " And now 
the axe is laid unto the root of the trees ; therefore 
every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn 
down and cast into the fire.'' The time has come 
for a thorough and radical work to be wrought in the 
hearts of men. The axe is to be applied not to the 
branches of the tree, nor to the trunk, but to the very 
roots. The nation has been long enough incumbered 
with fruitless, rotten trees. The work of pruning and 
watering has been carried far enough. The time has 
come for the axe and the fire to do their work. 

This inflexible energy of the forerunner was re- 
ferred to by the Saviour in his address to the multi- 
tude concerning John. " What went ye out into the 
wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 
But what went ye out to see ? A man clothed in 
soft raiment ? Behold, they that wear soft clothing 
are in king's houses." No pliant, feeble reed, shaken 
with every breath, did they go out to see, — no luxu- 
rious and effeminate |5arasite, but an earnest, firm, 
unwavering preacher of God's truth, — a Reformer, 
whose will was of iron, whose purposes were fixed, 
whose courage was invincible. He was not indeed 
destitute of prudence, nor of the spirit of coartesy and 
kindness. He was neither rash, nor overbearing, nor 
fanatical. To the people who came to him for 
instruction he was mild and conciliatory. But forms 
of iniquity that needed smiting, he did not hesitate 
to smite. Hypocrites he called by their right names. 
He did not allow dignity to shield corruptions, nor a 
solemn profession to divert his attention from a prof- 
ligate life. He did not allow his conservatism to 



THE PORERUNNER. 13 

j&eeze up his zeal, nor an excessive prudence to extin- 
guish the fires that the Almighty had kindled in his 
soul. 

Another prominent characteristic of John the Bap- 
tist was his humility. Although he was related to 
Christ both ofScially and by the ties of kindred, yet 
he arrogated nothing to himself. When the Jews 
sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem, to ask him, 
Who art thou ? he confessed, that he was not Christ, 
neither Elias, nor one of the old prophets. " Then 
said they unto him. Who art thou? that we may 
give an ansvv^er to them that sent us. What sayest 
thou of thyself?" " He said, I am the voice of one 
crying in the wilderness." " I am simply a voice — 
a sound that will be soon borne away upon the pass- 
ing breeze." The messengers and those who sent 
them were doubtless ready to acknowledge him in 
any capacity. But he claims nothing, except to be 
heard as a preacher of repentance, and as the herald 
of one who is mightier than himself, whose shoes 
even, he was not worthy to bear. He was careful, too, 
that no false impressions should be made by his ad- 
ministering the rite of baptism. He declared, 1 
indeed baptize you with water unto repentance ; but 
He that cometh after me shall baptize you with the 
Holy Ghost and with fire. This baptism in the waters 
of Jordan was simply a type of that spiritual bap- 
tism which would be administered by the Messiah, — 
of that Divine transformation that would purify the 
soul, elevate the affections, and fit one for the duties 
and joys of an immortal state. 

Soon after, seeing Jesus coming towards him, he 
2 



14 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

took occasion to turn away the attention of the mul- 
titude from himself and direct it towards the Messiah. 
'* Behold," he said, " the Lamb of God which taketh 
away the sin of the world. Behold the great sacri- 
fice which is to be offered up for the redemption of 
mankind. Listen to his teachings. Follow his 
guidance. Fasten your affections upon him. The 
Lamb of God, — pure, spotless, innocent, — pro- 
vided by infinite love, to save a perishing world ! 
Behold him towards whom, one day, all eyes will be 
turned, and the affections of all hearts flow! Be- 
hold him who wdll be exalted far above all princi- 
palities and powers, and whose praises tens of thou- 
sands will sing ! " 

At another time, when reference was made to 
Christ's growing fame and to the multitudes that 
flocked to him, John, in the spirit of the most pro- 
found humility, said, " He must increase, but I must 
decrease." Although this herald was more than a 
prophet ; although he held a higher position than 
that occupied by Abraham, or Moses, or David, or 
Elijah; although he had acquired great influence 
with the people and was rapidly gathering followers, 
and was thus realizing expectations which for years 
he had entertained, yet he is willing that his personal 
popularity should decline, that his name even should 
be forgotten if the name of Jesus is but remembered; 
willing that the light of the morning star should 
fade from the heavens, while the Sun of Righteous- 
ness is rising upon the world. 

Wonderful man! " More than a prophet, indeed ! " 
Full of zeal, courage, energy, and fire, in the prime 



THE FORERUNNER. 15 

and vigor of life, with success attending his efforts, 
and yet willing to step aside just as soon as the 
work of preparation is accomplished, willing that the 
current of his influence should flow into the rising 
tide of the Messiah's fame, and help to swell the 
mighty stream of his power ; this is humility that is 
worthy of the name ! We had rather call it glory. 
We had rather call it the highest heroism to which 
human nature can attain. 



11. 

SONG OF THE ANGELS. 



"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude op 
the heavenly host, praising god, and saying, glory to 
god in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will to- 
WARD MEN." — Luke ii. 13, 14. 

" Are there no clarions upon earth, 
To tell mankind their monarch's birth 1 
Are there no banners to unfold. 
Heavy with purple and Avith gold ? 
Are there no flowers to strew the ground. 
Nor arches with the palm-branch bound 1 
Nor fires to kindle on the hill 1 
No ! man is mute — the world is still, 
III would all earthly pomp agree 
With this hour's mild solemnity ; 
The tidings which that infant brings. 
Are not for conquerors, nor for kings ; 
But to the contrite and the meek. 
The simple, sorrowful, and weak ; 
Or those who, with a hope sublime. 
Are waiting for the Lord's good time. 
Only for those the angels sing, 
' All glory to our new-born King, 
And peace and good-will unto men ; 
Hosanna to our God ! Amen.' '' 

Miss Landon. 

There is something significant and touching in 
the factj that the birth of the Great Shepherd should 



SONa OF THE ANGELS. 17 

first be announced to shepherds who were watching 
their flocks by night. We may suppose that a pe- 
culiar sympathy existed between the Saviour and 
those who were engaged in this humble though hon- 
orable employment. The care which they exercised 
over their flocks ; their affection for the sheep ; their 
readiness to protect the fold by day and night against 
enemies, were all emblematic of the office and duties 
of the Good Shepherd, who would give his life for 
his people. 

Besides, we must believe that the employment of 
these pious men peculiarly fitted them to receive, 
with joy and faith, the good tidings which on that 
memorable night were communicated to them. The 
solitudes in which they dwelt, far fi'om the noise and 
distracting influences of the world, were eminently 
favorable to frequent seasons of meditation and ear- 
nest prayer. They were in constant communion with 
the beauties and sublimities of nature, which lifted 
their thoughts and affections to the Supreme Archi- 
tect. In the variegated scenery and abundant fruits 
of the earth, they recognized the wisdom and good- 
ness of an infinite Benefactor. In the starry heavens 
they read the glory of the Creator, and they were 
impressed with his majesty and power. 

Participating as they did in the general expectation 
of a coming Messiah, it is probable that they often 
gazed at night upon the skies with the hope of be- 
holding some indications of the approach of the 
Saviour to the earth. Their ideas of his character 
and mission may have been purer and loftier than 
those which were generally entertained by the Jews, 



18 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

It is clear that there were peculiar and important 
reasons in the divine mind, for selecting from the 
whole human family this small company of humble 
men, and making to them such a wonderful com- 
munication. 

According to the narrative given by St. Luke, the 
shepherds were startled by an intense and super- 
natural brightness, which suddenly burst upon them. 

On looking up they beheld a form unlike any that 
they had been familiar with on earth, — a form of 
surpassing beauty, majesty, and glory. Terrified at 
the sight, they knew not what to do ; nor could they 
imagine the import of so unusual and dazzling a 
spectacle. Whether it foreboded mercies or judg- 
ments, they could not determine. But in a moment, 
a voice proceeds from the angelic form, saying, in 
mild and heavenly accents, " Fear not : for behold, I 
bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to 
all people ; for unto you is born this day, in the city of 
David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Of all 
the announcements ever made to mortal ears by man 
or angel, this was the most grand and touching. The 
force of language is exhausted to express the nature 
of the tidings which the glorious being has come 
from heaven to communicate. He brings good 
tidings of great joy to all people ; to all who have 
sensibilities to be touched by a display of infinite 
love ; to all who have faith in a coming Messiah, 
and whose hearts are prepared to receive the infant 
Jesus. And to confirm the truth of the announce- 
ment, the angel adds, " This shall be a sign unto 
you : ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling- 



SONG OF THE ANGELS. 19 

clothes, lying in a manger." The shepherds need 
not seek him in the palaces of princes, nor in the 
mansions of the rich. They need not expect to find 
him wrapped in costly robes and lying upon a golden 
couch. But the infant form will be found simply 
wrapped in swaddling-clothes and reposing in a 
manger ; circumstances significant of the poverty and 
humility of his future career, and of the character of 
his mission. For to the poor especially his gospel is 
to be preached, and at the outset he selects a po- 
sition which renders him most accessible to the 
masses of the people. The shepherds would scarcely 
feel at liberty to enter the courts of royalty or the 
halls of the great, to gaze upon the infant form of 
the King of kings. But the humblest and poorest 
can pass the threshold of a stable and gather around 
a manger. No one would regard himself as an in- 
truder on entering such a place. And in all coming 
time, the penitent who might fear that his lowly birth 
would forbid him access to the Lord of glory, would 
have his fears quickly dissipated by the remembrance 
of the Saviour's birthplace, and of the fact that 
during his life he had not where to lay his head. 

But scarcely had the sign been received, when 
there broke from the skies a splendid vision and a 
full chorus, that filled the shepherds with w^onder 
and delight. " Suddenly there was with the angel a 
multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and 
saying. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth 
peace, good-will toward men." 

A more beautiful, appropriate, and comprehensive 
anthem than this cannot be conceived. In the few- 



20 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

est possible words we find expressed the honor due 
to the highest authority in the universe; the loyalty 
of the angelic hosts ; and the profound interest that 
is felt above in the welfare of mankind. It is fit that 
the first and warmest ascriptions of praise be given 
to God, the fountain of all blessings, and the author 
of this divine and glorious scheme of redemption. 
And had mankind realized the true and full import 
of this anthem, they would have echoed back its 
strains, and from every hill-top and valley and plain, 
there would have gone up one universal shout of 
praise. The very rocks and hills would have broken 
forth into singing, and all the trees of the field would 
have clapped their hands. But the mass of mankind 
are too deeply immersed in the cares, business, and 
frivolities of life, to heed these indications of the 
Messiah's advent. It is left for the angelic hosts to 
celebrate this event. Their holiness, intelligence, 
appreciation of the love of God and the worth of 
the human soul, qualify them to shout with the 
w^armest enthusiasm, " Glory to God in the highest." 
They feel that the loftiest praises are due to Jehovah 
for his condescension in giving his only and well be- 
loved Son to die for this sinful race. The mysteries 
of the atonement they desire to look into, but they 
cannot explore the depths of the mighty scheme. 
Yet they see and comprehend enough to convince 
them, that of all the displays of divine love which 
they have ever witnessed, this is the greatest ; of all 
the manifestations of the divine glory, this is the 
brightest; of all the themes of stirring song and 
rapturous praise, this is the mightiest and most en- 



SONG OF THE ANGELS. 21 

during. They see in this birth, the germ of a vast 
movement that will embrace the world as its field, 
and require ages for its development. 

They perceive, too, the bearings of this scheme 
upon the divine administration, in its development 
of the great principle that the Sovereign of the uni- 
verse can be just, and yet the justifier of them that 
believe. Heretofore the penalty of a violated law 
had cast its dark and awful shadow over the human 
race. But now the horizon is sldrted with the light 
of mercy. The Sun of Righteousness is rising upon 
the world with healing in his beams. The dignity 
and authority of the divine administration can be 
sustained, and at the same time there is pardon for 
the penitent, and favor for the believing. To see 
thus a way of escape provided, while every principle 
of holiness and justice is maintained, — to see divine 
wisdom and love defeating the designs of the great 
adversary, and arresting the fearful consequences of 
sin, and throwing open the gates of heaven to the 
subjects of redeeming grace, excites the warmest ad- 
miration of the celestial intelligences. They shout 
" Glory to God," knowing that such a scheme is 
deserving of the highest praises, and that it will 
yield to the Deity through eternity, a revenue of the 
highest honors. 

In this wonderful song we also hear the words,. 
^^ peace on eartliP The angels knew that they were 
celebrating the advent of the Prince of Peace, — of 
one who would hush the voice of human strife, quell 
the angry passions of men, and teach the nations 
to beat their swords into ploughshares, and their 



22 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

spears into pruning-hooks, and learn war no more. 
They knew the character of the Messiah, his mild 
and gentle spirit, the depth of his love, the extent of 
his compassion, for they had through long ages ex- 
perienced his kindness, and witnessed the displays 
of his divine and glorious attributes. They were 
convinced that his simple presence on the earth 
would shed abroad a peaceful and holy influence ; 
that the sweet accents of his voice would fall like 
music upon the perverse nature of man, and that the 
power of his example would calm the troubled wa- 
ters of hatred and contention. 

Could we have mingled with these pious shep- 
herds, and have heard from the skies those precious 
words, " peace on earth," with what joy should we 
have welcomed them to our hearts ? Peace to the 
troubled conscience — peace to the oppressed and 
sorrowing spirit — peace such as the world can nei- 
ther give nor take away ! But though this privilege 
was not granted to us, yet we find consolation in the 
assurance, that 



-'J 



" There is an hour of peaceful rest. 
To mourning wanderers given ; 
There is a tear for souls distressed, 
A balm for every wounded breast- — 
^Tis found alone — in heaven. 

'' There is a home for weary souls, 

By sin and sorrow riven : 
When tossed of life's tempestuous shoals. 
Where storms arise and ocean rolls. 

And all is drear — but heaven/' 

It is worthy of remark, that at the time this an- 



SONG OF THE ANGELS. 23 

gelic song was heard, peace reigned throughout the 
Roman empire. God had so ordered the events of 
his providence as to secure a cessation of hostilities 
between different nations, and thus so far prepare the 
way for the Messiah's advent. The temple of Janus 
was shut, indicating the universal prevalence of 
peace, an event which had occurred but twice before 
during the seven centuries of the existence of the 
Roman empire. When we consider the vast extent 
of this empire, the various elements of which it was 
composed, the warlike character of the people, and 
the feelings with which they were regarded by for- 
eign nations, it seems almost miraculous that peace 
should prevail at that period. Hostilities are sus- 
pended, as though to welcome the Prince of Peace. 
The involuntary homage of millions is thus rendered 
to the Messiah. The noise of battle is hushed, that 
angelic songs may be heard. Peace reigns as a beau- 
tiful symbol of the moral state of the world, when 
the fruits of Christ's mission shall have been fully 
experienced, and his blessed principles shall have tri- 
umphed over every evil passion. 

But there is another expression in this chorus, that 
must have afforded the shepherds the most intense 
delight. Mingling with the music, of the sweetness 
of which we can form no conception, they hear the 
Yv^ords " good'ivill toward menP Good- will from the 
Father and from the Son and from the Holy Ghost, 
towards even ungrateful and sinful man I Good- 
will in the hearts of angelic hosts ; of the myriads of 
bright and holy beings that surround the eternal throne ! 
In this sentiment we have embodied the great prin- 



24 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

ciple that pervades the social and moral life of heaven ; 
and is the very essence of Deity. It is the principle 
to which the nature^of all sentient beings is adapted, 
and conformity to which secm'es the highest possible 
happiness. It does not reign upon this earth, because 
its antagonist, selfishness, has the throne of human 
hearts. But it is a source of infinite satisfaction to 
know, that there is a world where benevolence does 
reign triumphant, — where the highest happiness is 
derived from promoting the happiness of others. And 
this interest which angels feel in the welfare of the 
human family, can flow from no other fountain than 
that of a purely benevolent nature. It is because 
they delight in the happiness of all sentient beings, 
that they are so deeply interested in man. Even 
human apostasy and degradation, — even the vices 
of men that naturally repel all holy beings, do not 
throw us beyond the pale of their sympathies. They 
perceive in man, though he is in ruins, a value that 
cannot be estimated ; capabilities for enjoyment 
which cannot be measured ; and sources from which 
may spring vast revenues of glory to the Deity. 
Hence in all their communications with earth, they 
manifest a kindness of feeling and depth of interest 
which cannot be expressed. When our world first 
floated in space, fresh and beautiful from the hands 
of its Creator, " the morning stars sang together, and 
all the sons of God shouted for joy." They rejoiced 
in the nev/ manifestation of the Divine goodness 
and power. And they have ever been ready to min- 
ister to the wants and alleviate the sorrows of the 
human family. " Are they not all ministering spkits, 



SONG OF THE ANGELS. 25 

sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of 
salvation ? " 

Had we organs of vision which would enable us to 
behold these resplendent and holy beings, we should 
see them at their several posts engaged in missions 
of love. We should see one presiding over the affairs 
of a nation — another protecting the interests and 
promoting the spirituality of a church — another com- 
forting the afflicted — anothex standing at the bedside 
of the dying Christian, and ready to accompany his 
spirit to the regions of glory. We should see a vast 
multitude whose hearts beat in sympathy with every 
human interest. We are indeed assured that " there 
is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one 
sinner that repenteth." The return of a single wan- 
derer thrills their souls with delight. For they know 
the worth of one immortal spirit. They know what 
heights of honor and felicity it is capable of reaching, 
and into what depths of wretchedness it is liable to 
be plunged. And bending from the lofty battlements 
of the eternal city, they watch with the deepest solici- 
tude for any indications of penitence and faith among 
the guilty children of men. 

Such a manifestation of interest from such pure 
and exalted intelligences ought to have an elevating 
influence upon every human heart. It exalts us in 
the scale of being to know that such an intense and 
wide spread sympathy is felt for man in the far dis- 
tant regions of the universe, — that the highest and 
holiest intelligences bring the welcome tidings of 
their good- will towards the human family. 

The good shepherds having listened to the last 
3 



26 LIFE SCENES OP THE MESSIAH. 

strains of this wonderful song, at once left their flocks, 
and hasten to find the new-born infant. Following 
the direction given to them by the angel, they went 
to Bethlehem, " and found Mary and Joseph, and the 
babe lying in a manger." Being forcibly struck with 
the fulfilment of the announcement which they had 
heard, they made known to all around them the facts 
respecting the remarkable and splendid vision which 
they had seen during the night. 

And they '^ returned glorifying and praising God." 
Their faith in the Messiah was confirmed; their 
hearts were filled with gratitude, and they were ready, 
with the warmest enthusiasm, to join the angelic 
hosts in the song " Glory to God in the highest ; on 
earth peace, good-will toward men." 



III. 

VISIT OF THE WISE MEN. 



"Behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusa- 
lem, SAYING, where is HE THAT IS BORN KING OF THE JEWS 1 
FOR WE HAVE SEEN HIS STAR IN THE EAST AND ARE COME TO 

WORSHIP HIM." — St. Matthew ii. 1, 2. 

** Ear in the desert East it shone, 
A guiding star,^and only one ; 
The other pUmets left the sky, 
Trembling, as if rebuked on high. 
The moon forsook its silvery height, 
Abashed before that holier light ; 
The storm clouds that on ether lay 
Melted before its glorious ray ; 
Till half the heaven shone pure and clear, 
Like some diviner atmosphere 
Than ours, where heavy vapors rise 
From the vile earth to dim the skies ; 
Meet herald of that promised day, 
When souls shall burst the bond of clay. 
And, purified from earth stains, come, 
Kadiant to its eternal home." 

The birth of Jesus was an event which attracted 
the angels of heaven and the wise men of the earth. 
Holiness and wisdom both had their representatives 
on this interesting occasion. Though the Saviour 



28 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

was born in a manger, and under the most humble 
circumstances, — though his advent was greeted by 
no public demonstration of gratitude or honor, yet 
there were not wanting indications of his royalty, and 
the marks of reverence due to so illustrious a person- 
age. A bright star or meteor pointed out the sacred 
spot where he was born. A company of pilgrims, 
distinguished for their piety and wisdom, come from 
the far East and seek diligently for the young child. 
They bring with them precious gifts to lay at the 
feet of the infant Messiah, as the testimonials of their 
affection and homage. Guided by the light of the 
star, and aided by a Divine illumination from above, 
they find the object of their search, and render to him 
the worship due to his character and mission. By 
prostrating themselves before him, they recognize the 
divinity of his nature, and the grandeur of the object 
which has called him from heaven to earth. They rec- 
ognize in that infant breast a power slumbering that 
will one day be felt among the nations of the earth. 
They recognize a great moral force that will change 
the face of society, and elevate man from the regions 
of darkness and degradation into those of light, truth, 
and happiness. In connection with their worship 
they present the rich products of their country, gold, 
frankincense, and myrrh, — a very timely offering to 
aid the parents of Jesus in making their flight into 
Egypt. This scene presents several interesting points 
of inquiry and meditation. 

In the first place we desire to know who these 
wise men were, and from what country they came. 
In the Greek language they are called (layot, and in 



VISIT OF THE WISE MEN. 29 

the Latin mag-i, a title given to them on account of 
their eminence in learning, and especially their 
knowledge of nature, and of the movements of the 
heavenly bodies. The name also was applied to 
such as were skilled in political matters. " For,'' 
says an able writer, " the great counsellors of the 
Persian kings were called magi, and Cicero affirms 
that none were ever admitted to the Persian throne, 
but such as had been thoroughly instructed and 
trained up by these magi. The title was also some- 
times used by those who practised wicked arts, but 
in its proper and usual meaning, it designates those 
philosophers who were skilled in natural, political, or 
moral science." 

Some writers suppose that they were kings from 
some eastern nations, and that their mission was a 
fulfilment of the prophecy. " The kings of Tarshish 
and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of 
Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts." But there are no 
substantial grounds for this opinion ; for Herod did 
not treat them as kings, but gave to them commands 
to diligently search for the young child and bring 
him word again, as though they were properly sub- 
ject to his authority. Besides, had they been per- 
sons of royal rank, the fact would doubtless have 
been mentioned by the EA^angelists. But they were 
obviously Gentile philosophers, who, in addition to 
then- learning, enjoyed special Divine influences, and 
were anxious to obtain an accurate knowledge of the 
true God. Though they did not come under the 
promises which had been made to Abraham and his 
seed, yet it is reasonable to suppose that they had 



so LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

been expecting and waiting for a Messiah — a Mes- 
siah who should break down the partition wall be- 
tween Jews and Gentiles — who should extend to all 
nations the blessings of his mission, and recognize as 
his friends all who would believe on his name. That 
they had faith in a coming Saviour, is evident from 
their searching so diligently for the young child. 
That they were under the divine protection and guid- 
ance, is evident from the appearance of the beauti- 
ful star that directed their footsteps. Their religious 
faith was evinced by their readiness to fall down and 
worship the Saviour. We may regard them as the 
representation of that portion of the Gentile world 
upon whom some rays of divine light had shone, 
and who were anxious to receive a teacher sent from 
God. There was a significancy in such a visit to 
Christ, so early in his history. It indicated that the 
reign of a formal system of religion, and one that 
conferred special privileges upon a few classes, was 
drawing to a close ; that a new and spiritual empire 
was about to arise in the earth ; that mankind were 
io be moved forward by the agency of a new and 
mighty moral force, towards a high state of civiliza- 
tion and religion. 

But we are interested to know whence these sages 
came upon so remarkable a mission. As to the pre- 
cise country from which they came, eminent divines 
are not fully agreed, as the Evangelist simply men- 
tions that they came from the East. Some are of 
the opinion that they came from Persia, others that 
they journeyed from Arabia, and others still, that 
they came from Assyria. The arguments in favor 



VISIT OF THE WISE MEN. 31 

of the first opinion are, that this class of philoso- 
phers abounded in Persia ; that the country was sit- 
uated eastward to Judea, which corresponded with 
the words of the Evangelist, and that the manner of 
approaching Jesus with presents and such marks of 
homage, was in accordance with the custom in Per- 
sia, when persons appeared in the presence of kings. 
The argument in favor of Arabia, is that gold, 
frankincense, and myrrh, abound in that country. 
There are also other circumstances upon which the 
opinion with reference to this country, is based. If 
the wise men came from Arabia, they must have en- 
countered many hardships and dangers in their jour- 
ney : for their course would lay through a wild and 
parched desert, which was infested by bands of rob- 
bers and murderers. But from whatever country 
they originated, they manifested a degree of piety 
and zeal that is worthy of our admiration. They 
w^ere bent upon finding Jesus, w^hom they abeady 
hailed as born King of the Jews. They did not 
come tq inquire whether his birth had taken place, 
for they had satisfactory knowledge upon that point. 
They had seen " his star," and with their hearts full 
of faith, they had come to worship. 

The connection of Herod with this scene is too 
intimate to be passed unnoticed. This most wicked 
of wricked men endeavored to turn this pious mission 
into a means for effecting the destruction of the 
infant Jesus. With a degree of hypocrisy and mal- 
ice which only the vilest and most infamous of men 
are capable of reaching, he pretended that he desired 
to know where the young child was, that he might 



32 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

also come and worship him. Besides being like all 
base usurpers and tyrants, full of suspicions and 
jealousies, his anxiety was greatly increased by the 
intelligence that had reached him respecting the 
star, and by the rumors which were abroad that 
about that time a prince was to be born who would 
rule over Israel. His character presents a striking 
contrast to those wise and good men whom he 
wished to employ as instruments for accomplishing 
his cruel designs. Before the birth of Christ, he had 
stained his administration with almost every imagin- 
able crime. All who were suspected of having any 
claims or desires for his crown, were basely assassi- 
nated. Every principle of honor, right, and justice 
was sacrificed. The most sacred and tender ties 
were disregarded. Not content with murdering his 
predecessor in the extremity of his old age, he carried 
the sword into his own family, and put to death one 
of his wives and his own children, and to carry his 
remorseless cruelty to the highest pitch, he issued an 
edict requiring the indiscriminate slaughter of all 
"the children in Bethlehem and in all the coasts 
thereof," hoping thus to accomplish the murder of 
the infant Jesus. His wickedness and villany were 
so stupendous that neither the innocency of child- 
hood, nor the reverence due to old age, nor the af- 
fection of a wife, nor the obligations of the parental 
relation, afforded any protection against him. He is 
styled Herod the Great on account of the splendor of 
the palaces which he built, and the magnificence of 
his reign. But the greatness of his wickedness sur- 
passed all other manifestations of greatness. The 



VISIT OF THE WISE MEX. 33 

dark, colossal monuments reared by his atrocious 
cruelty, rose higher and stood out more conspicuous 
than the temple and palaces that he erected. 

Accustomed to be implicitly obeyed, when he 
found that he was mocked or deluded by the wise 
men, he was exceedingly enraged, and sent forth that 
terrible command that caused in Rama, " lamentation 
and weeping, and great mourning : Rachel weeping 
for her children and would not be comforted because 
they are not." Under the reign of such a prince 
was the Saviour born, — a prince whose power was 
based upon injustice, whose throne was covered with 
blood, and whose administration was marked by 
every form of cruelty. On the one hand was the 
innocent babe of Bethlehem ; on the other, this 
remorseless tyrant thirsting for his blood. In the 
same country heaven and hell meet through their 
representatives. They meet as antagonistic forces, 
destined to struggle one against the other. The 
principles of the two worlds are strikingly set forth 
in the two characters. One is all benevolence, and 
the other is unmixed selfishness. One has a heart 
full of tenderness and mercy, the other has the spirit 
of a fiend. One is erelong to give his life for the 
benefit of the human family, the other sacrifices 
human life to attain his own base ends. 

Why so infamous a king was permitted to live 
and to rule over the Jews at so interesting a period 
in their history, is a question which finite wisdom 
cannot answer. Not until the great problem of 
moral evil is solved, can this point be settled. Viewed 
in the light of the world's uniform wickedness, it is 



34 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

not SO wonderful that the benevolent career of the 
Saviour should have commenced with a Herod, and 
ended with a Judas. For had Christ appeared in any 
age or nation, he would have encountered men of a 
similar character and similar principles with these. If 
he comes to oppose wickedness, to smite the gigantic 
forms of iniquity that prevail, he must meet the rep- 
resentatives of these forms and systems, from the day 
of his bnth to the day of his death. But if Christ 
had bitter enemies, he also had sincere and warm 
friends. If the cruel tyrant sought him in order to 
take his life, the wise men from the East desired to 
present to him gifts, and to render to him the homage 
of grateful and believing hearts. 

Let us next notice the impression made upon the 
minds of the pious sages by their visit to the infant 
Saviour. As they were guided by the star that led 
them to the spot where the young child was, the 
Evangelist tells us that "they rejoiced with exceeding 
great joy." In the original Greek, the words express 
a fulness and excess of joy which it is difficult to 
translate in our language. The intensity of their joy 
ful emotions indicated the earnestness of their desires 
to see Jesus, and their strong faith in him They did 
not come to show merely their outward respect at the 
birth of so illustrious a personage, nor to render to 
him a mere formal worship. Their feelings were 
strongly enlisted in the object of their search. They 
were men who were sincere and earnest inquirers 
after the truth, — men of learning, of high intellectual 
culture, — men who were familiar with the Jewish 
Scriptures, and with the prophecies concerning a com- 



VISIT OF THE WISE MEN. ' 35 

ing Messiah. They rejoiced in the successful termi- 
nation of their journey, and in the goodness of God 
which permitted them to behold the long promised 
Messiah. As the children of Israel were guided 
in their night journeyings by a pillar of fire to the 
promised land, so their footsteps had been guided by 
the light of a beautiful star or meteor, to the birth- 
place of the Messiah. And like the devout Simeon 
they might have said : " Lord, now let thy servants 
depart in peace, for our eyes have seen thy salvation^ 
which thou hast prepared before the face of all 
people : a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory 
of thy people Israel." They rejoiced that their faith 
was so much strengthened by what they saw. Prob* 
ably they had before clung to their belief amid many 
doubts and discouragements. In their own country^ 
where their religious opinions were known, they may 
have encountered opposition or ridicule on account 
of their peculiar views. Their journey to Bethlehem 
under the guidance of a new star, may have been 
regarded as a fanatical and visionary enterprise^ 
Although they were men of learning, rank, and 
influence, and were admitted to the palaces of 
kings, and consulted on all important occasions, yet 
their eminent position may have exposed them to 
great temptations, and strong resolution may have 
been required on their part to maintain their belief. 
But now they find their steadfastness and zeal abun- 
dantly rewarded by the view which is granted to them 
of the Messiah. They find that their confidence was 
not misplaced, and they rejoice that their faith has 
reached so triumphant an issue. 



36 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

It was also a source of joy to them that a glorious 
Prince of the Jews was born, one who would confer 
great and lasting blessings upon the nations of the 
earth. How definite and clear were their ideas of the 
nature of Christ's kingdom, and the character of his 
reign, we have no means of determining. It is 
hardly probable that God would have, in so remark- 
able a manner, guided them to Bethlehem, simply 
that they might pay a transient tribute of respect to 
Jesus. They may have known that the object of 
their worship had come to work out the redemption 
of our race, — to give his life a ransom for many. 
They may have recognized in him a divine Saviour, 
and a ruler who would confer great spiritual as weU 
as temporal blessings. While standing in the house 
by the side of Mary, and bending over the infant 
form of Jesus, they may have recalled the prophetic 
words of Isaiah, " For unto us a child is born, unto 
us a son is given : and the government shall be upon 
his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonder- 
ful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the Prince of 
Peace." And their conceptions of the splendor of 
his reign, and the glories of his mission, may have 
been a prominent source of their exceeding joy. 
The divine being who had revealed to them the birth 
of Christ, could easily have imparted to them clear 
views of his career, and the blessed results of his 
life and of his death. Especially they may have 
seen that the Gentile world would share largely in 
the benefits of his advent, and hence they would 
naturally be filled with joy. Nor is it unreasonable to 
suppose that these sages^ in their own country, pre- 



VISIT OF THE WISE MEN. 37 

pared the way for the triumph of divine truth. If 
their faith was at first so strong as to lead them to 
take a long journey, and bring with them costly gifts 
to present to the new-born king, how much must 
both their faith and zeal have been quickened by 
what they had seen and heard. They may have re- 
turned to their own country as missionaries of the 
new religion, and subsequently have had their minds - 
more thoroughly enlightened in regard to " the truth 
as it is in Jesus." Indeed, an early antiquity informs 
us that messages or letters were afterwards sent to 
Jesus from Abgarus, king of Edessa, in Arabia, con- 
taining expressions of the highest respect for his 
character and mission, — letters which may have 
had their origin in the information at first communi- 
cated by these sages. 

"We may also regard this visit of the wise men, as 
a beautiful and striking emblem of that happy period 
in the history of the church, when, in the words of 
Isaiah, " the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and 
kings to the brightness of thy rising;" when "the 
abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee;" 
when " all they from Sheba shall come, and bring gold 
and incense, and shall show forth the praises of the 
Lord." It was peculiarly fit that the future triumphs 
of the Gospel among the Gentile nations, should 
thus be represented in the early history of the Mes- 
siah. For if Christ was to be despised and rejected 
by the Jews, it was a consolation to his parents and 
friends to receive some tokens of his success among 
a portion, at least, of the human family. Thus while 
we look upon Herod as a representative of the cru- 
4 



38 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

elty and treachery that Christ would meet with at 
the hands of his people, we delight to turn our eyes 
towards these wise men, as the representatives of 
those nations that would one day come to Jesus to 
worship, and pour their gold and silver into the treas- 
ury of the Lord. And what was shadowed forth 
in this visit, we find has been fully realized. For the 
light of Christ's holy mission soon poured over the 
walls of Jerusalem, travelled beyond the confines of 
Judea, and reached the millions that for long ages 
had been sitting in darkness. The trumpet voice of 
the prophet was heard, saying to them, "Arise, shine, 
for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord has 
risen upon thee." At this day we have the spectacle 
presented to us of Judea, once the holy land, lying 
waste and barren, its cities demolished, or in the 
hands of infidels, while over Gentile nations there 
rise thousands of Christian churches, from which go 
forth influences and agencies that are blessing the 
world. On this continent, at that time an unknown 
w^ilderness, there has in these modern days grown up 
a Christian power, which we believe will not wane, 
until the Gospel is preached to every creature. The 
stone which the Jewish builders rejected, has become 
the corner-stone of our modern Christendom. " This 
is the Lord's doings : it is marvellous in our eyes." 

The manner in which the wise men were enabled 
to render their visit a beautiful emblem of such glo- 
rious results, and were saved from being even the 
innocent instruments of executing the cruel purpose 
of Herod, is worthy of a moment's notice. After 
having worshipped the new-born king and left their 



VISIT OF THE WISE MEN. 39 

treasures, we are told, that, " being warned of God in 
a dream that they should not return to Herod, they 
departed into their own country, another way." Plad 
it not been for this divine communication, they might 
have had the grievous reflection of having been the 
indirect occasion of the death of the holy child. But 
the same God in whom they put their trust when 
they entered upon their journey, was with them in 
every extremity. He directed their steps, warned 
them of danger, and kept them from being the in- 
struments of the tyrant's cruelty. They returned to 
their own country, carrying with them richer treas- 
ures than those which they brought, and rejoicing 
that by the aid of divine power, they had been saved 
from the snare which was laid to entrap them. 

This scene teaches us lessons of practical impor- 
tance. All wise men in every age of the world will 
seek Christ. They will seek not only the evidences 
of his birth, but will examine his system of doctrines, 
his scheme of redemption, his claims upon our hom- 
age and worship. They will follow the guidance of 
the star of hope that appears in the moral firmament, 
— a star that to the believing will increase in bright- 
ness, and one day become a sun, filling the heavens 
with its splendor and glory. They will bring gifts 
worthy of the Saviour's acceptance, — the sacrifice 
of a broken and contrite heart, their cordial love, and 
the services of their lives. They will experience the 
joy which the sages felt. Every new interview with 
the Saviour will increase their delight. They will 
join the Psalmist in his prophetic and sublime words, 
'' He shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold 



40 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

of Sheba : prayer also shall be made for him contin- 
ually, and daily shall he be praised. His name shall 
endure forever, and men shall be blessed in him : all 
nations shall call him blessed." 



IV. 

TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS. 



" Then was jesus led of the spirit into the wildeiiness to 
BE tempted of the DEVIL." — Mattlicw iv. 1. 

The period which elapsed between the childhood 
of Jesus and his public ministry, was employed 
by him in making preparation for his great work. 
Uniting as he did a human with a divine nature, his 
human nature was subject to those laws of culture 
and discipline which belong to our race. We are 
informed that in his youth he " increased in wisdom, 
and in favor with God and man." His natural fac- 
ulties were developed and expanded as he advanced 
in years, and were thus fitted to become the organs 
of his divine nature. As the human body in its 
growth and progress towards maturity, becomes a 
vehicle through which the mind acts and expresses 
its emotions and thoughts, so the human soul of 
Christ, by development and culture, was prepared to 
become the medium through which his divine nature 
might express its thoughts and make its revelation 
to the world. 

Of the early history of Jesus w^e know but little. 
A single incident is recorded which strikingly illus- 

4* 



42 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

trates his progress in knowledge, and his con- 
sciousness of the divine nature within him. "When 
about twelve years of age, his parents, on making their 
annual visit to Jerusalem, at the time of the Pass- 
over, took him with them. On their return they 
missed him, and after searching, he was found in the 
temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, and dis- 
cussing with them, much to their wonder and admi- 
ration, questions of religious faith. Doubtless his 
mind was greatly quickened by what he saw and 
heard at Jerusalem and in the temple ; and probably 
on this occasion, for the first time, the divine light 
burst forth from his intellect, and the infinite treas- 
ures of his wisdom were unfolded to human view. 
The learned doctors were amazed at the penetration, 
clearness, skill, and power of argument manifested 
by a youth at so tender an age. But though sur- 
prised, they were not aware that what they beheld 
was the opening fountain of that mighty stream of 
thought, which was destined to purify the spiritual 
life of man, and flow on in its fertilizing course 
through all coming ages. 

The early preparation of Christ for his public min- 
istry and achievements, included discipline as well 
as culture ; and that kind of discipline which results 
from conflicts with temptation. Whether it is an 
indispensable condition of moral discipline and moral 
rectitude, that evil or temptation, in some of their 
forms, must be met and resisted, is a question which 
we need not stop to discuss. It is sufficient to our 
present purpose to know that Christ was tempted, and 
in this fact, we find the necessity of the temptation. 



TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS. 43 

From the narrative we ]earn that Jesus, being full 
of the Holy Ghost, returned from Jordan, where he 
had received the solemn rite of baptism, and was 
immediately led by the spirit into the wilderness, to 
meet there the great tempter, and decide with him 
the question of supremacy and victory. Whether 
the account which the Evangelists have furnished is 
to be taken literally in all its features, or has, in some 
respects, a symbolical import, we are not prepared to 
decide. The principles, however, involved in the 
case, are the same, whether we regard it literally or 
symbolically. 

It appears from the account that there were three 
distinct temptations, that appealed severally to Christ's 
necessities ; to the feeling of presumption, and that 
of ambition. 

With the first he was assailed after having fasted 
forty days and forty nights. Being filled with the 
Holy Spirit, and in the retirement of the wilderness, 
far from the distracting influences of the w^orld, he 
w^as so absorbed by his meditations upon the great- 
ness and glories of the work that was before him, that 
he was not conscious for a considerable period of the 
lapse of time, or of his need of food. Instances of a 
similar character have occurred in the history of per- 
sons eminent for their intellectual vigor and glowing 
piety. Moses, in the solitude of the mount, before 
receiving the law from Jehovah, fasted forty days, to 
prepare his mind for the stupendous scenes that were 
to open before him. Elijah, the chief of the prophets, 
fasted the same period ; — and now" he who combined 
in his own person, lawgiver, prophet, and redeemer, 



44 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

the author of a new covenant and founder of a new 
dispensation, spends the same time in fasting, humili- 
ation, and prayer. While in a state of exhaustion 
from such long continued abstinence, the tempter ap- 
proached him in a visible form, as one who desired 
to witness the evidence^ of his sincerity and divinity. 
The skill and subtlety of Satan were manifested not 
only in his selection of such a time in which to pre- 
sent the temptation, but in assuming the character 
of one who was an inquirer after truth. " If thou art 
the Son of God," that extraordinary person who has 
been long expected, then " command that these stones 
be made bread," and thus at once satisfy your hun- 
ger. But Jesus replied, " It is written, Man shall not 
live by bread alone, but by every word that pro- 
ceedeth out of the mouth of God." This quotation 
is made from Deuteronomy viii. 3, wherein reference 
is made to the manner in which God sustained the 
Israelites in the wilderness. They were not supported 
by the bread and flesh of the Egyptians, but by 
manna sent directly from heaven ; and the idea which 
Christ intends to convey is, that the same God can 
sustain him in the wilderness without bread. Into 
that wilderness he had been led by the Holy Spirit, 
and he prefers to continue under his guidance and 
care, rather than distrust Providence and perform a 
miracle to satisfy his necessities. His supreme de- 
sire was to know and to follow the divine will, and 
he is confident that God will bring to him relief in 
his own time and way. On other occasions we find 
the same unwillingness, on the part of Christ, to per- 
form miracles for his own personal benefit. When he 



TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS. 45 

was betrayed, and was surrounded by the soldiers and 
the mob who were anxious to seize him, he said: 
" Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, 
and he shall presently give me more than twelve 
legions of angels ? " And when he had been nailed 
to the cross, the priests and scribes, as they passed 
by, said : " He saved others : himself he cannot save. 
If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down 
from the cross, and we will believe him." But neither 
to save himself from suftering, nor to gratify curiosity y. 
nor, above all, to meet the wishes of the arch de- 
ceiver would Christ exert his miraculous power. 

Besides, in every position that he occupied, he 
stood as an example to mankind. It was a part of 
his mission to be tempted " like as we are, yet with- 
out sin." He came to struggle in a human form> 
against the great adversary, — to demonstrate that 
evil could be resisted, and the devil triumphed over 
in every conflict. It is true that he had not a sinful 
nature for temptation to fasten itself upon ; but he 
had human sensibilities and wants, and was so tried 
as to be able to sympathize with man in all the 
varied circumstances and sorrows of life. Had he, in 
the wilderness, exerted his miraculous power, and 
converted the stones at his feet into bread, and thus 
satisfied the cravings of hunger ; or had he, when 
arrested, summoned legions of angels to his aid, and 
destroyed his enemies, important ends in his mission 
would have remained unaccomplished. Man needed 
a Saviour not only with divine powers, but with 
human sympathies ; one who could feel in his own 
soul the force of human weakness and dependence f 



46 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

one who could combine the authority and omnipo- 
tence and glory of a God, with the endurancCj vir- 
tues, and submission of a perfect man. How else 
can Christ be our example? How else can we 
follow in his footsteps ? In these various walks of 
life, amid these temptations that beset us, in con- 
flicts with the great adversary, how can we follow 
one who has only a divine nature ; who by the breath 
of his power can slay every foe, and thus has infinite 
advantages over us in every respect. When Christ 
wrought miracles, it was to attest his divinity and to 
serve and benefit others. But when he suffered and 
struggled with temptation, it was in his human capac-' 
ity. St. Peter says : " Christ suffered for us, leaving 
for us an example that ye should follow his steps: 
Who knew no sin, neither was guile found in his 
mouth ; who when he was reviled, reviled not again ; 
when he suffered, threatened not; but committeth 
himself to him that judgeth righteously." 

In the reply which Christ made to the tempter 
there is also a significancy that is worthy of our 
remembrance : " Man shall not live by bread alone." 
As though he had said, bread or food is not the only 
nourishment that man needs. He has a higher life 
than that of the body, to be fed. He has nobler aspi- 
rations to meet, purer and loftier ends to attain, than 
those which terminate in bodily comfort ! He has a 
mind to discipline, powers to invigorate, virtues to 
strengthen, a soul to be fitted for solemn duties and 
weighty responsibilities. His proper food is the 
Word of God — divine truth — that spiritual nour- 
ishment that descends like manna from heaven. To 



TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS. 47 

this Christ referred when he said on one occasion 
to his disciples: " I have meat to eat that ye know 
not of." When conversing with the woman of Sama- 
ria he said : " Whosoever shall drink of the water 
that I shall give him shall never thnst ; " but it shall 
be " in him a well of water springing up unto everlast- 
ing life." Should not all seek that water and food that 
will give real life, everlasting life! In God's Holy 
Word, we have spread out a celestial banquet, — food 
for the soul, — food theitwill nourish us for immortality. 
Being defeated in this attempt, the tempter very 
artfully assails the Saviour at another point, and 
endeavors to lead him into an act of presumption. 
Taking him to Jerusalem, and placing him on a pin- 
nacle of the temple, he said unto him : " If thou be 
the Son of God, cast thyself down ; for it is written, 
He shaU give his angels charge concerning thee, and 
in their hands shall they bear thee up, lest at any 
time thou dash thy foot against a stone." The word 
pinnacle, though it agrees well with the original 
Greek, yet is liable to convey to the English reader a 
wrong idea. The roof of the temple was flat, and 
was surrounded with a battlement, a part of which 
was very high. Upon the edge probably of the loft- 
iest portion, the Saviour stood when the tempter as- 
sailed him. In order to present the temptation in the 
strongest possible manner, Satan assures him, on Scrip- 
tural authority, that there will be perfect safety in his 
making this demonstration of his miraculous power. 
But Christ, seeing at once through the cunning of 
the adversary, replied : It is also written, " Thou shalt 
not tempt the Lord thy God." He felt that it would 



48 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

be gross presumption to attempt to call into requisi- 
tion the omnipotence of Jehovah, when the danger 
could be avoided by descending from the battlement 
in the usual manner. His words teach us the great 
lesson, that we are to expect divine aid only when we 
make a diligent use of the means that are in our 
power. If we are found out of the path of duty, or 
rush presumptuously into peril, or unnecessarily ex- 
pose ourselves to dangers, we need not expect that 
omnipotence will interfere for our protection. God 
has instituted certain laws for the government of our 
health, safety, usefulness, advancement in piety ; and 
if these laws are violated, we cannot expect the Deity 
to go out of his course, or throw the system upon 
which he governs the universe into disorder, merely 
that we may be saved from the consequences of our 
imprudence. Should he do this in one case, he must 
in another, and in a third and fourth, and thus there 
would soon be an end to all order and government. 
If a person of a zealous temperament and of ardent 
piety, in the prosecution of even a good work, ex- 
poses his health or person to dangers, he has no right 
to expect a special act of divine assistance to meet 
an exigency that may be met by the employment of 
the ordinary means of protection and safety. The 
young disciple, whose ardor prompts him to make 
the most thorough mental preparation for the gospel 
ministry, or the devoted missionary who goes forth to 
convert savage tribes to the principles of the gospel, 
are not exempt from the great laws which the Deity 
has instituted for our safety and government. It is 
true, that if, in the clear path of duty, they meet with 



TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS. 49 

dangers, they have a right to ask and expect divine' 
assistance ; and, indeed, upon the ordinary means of 
safety, we should at all times seek the divine bless- 
ing. I fully believe in what are termed special prov- 
idences in cases where human means fail. The 
Israelites in the wilderness experienced them. The 
Old Testament saints, Elijah, Shadrach and his asso- 
ciates, Daniel and others, were the favored subjects 
of divine interposition and aid. And in our day,, 
there is too little exercise of strong confidence in 
God, — too little boldness in his service based upon 
reliance on his aid. But what the example of Christ 
teaches under this temptation is, that we must asso- 
ciate prudence and forethought with, our piety ; that 
we must not mistake presumption for zeal, nor rash- 
ness for confidence in God. And we see the distinc- 
tion for which we contend clearly illustrated in the 
whole career of the Saviour. No one will charge 
Christ with a want of zeal, boldness, and earnestness^ 
in the prosecution of his great work. And yet hia 
whole life was marked with the greatest prudence 
and discretion. He never voluntarily exposed himself 
to peril, and always used the wisest means to escape 
the stratagems of his enemies. And by pursuing" 
this course, he was enabled to accomplish the greatest 
amount of usefulness, and to set before mankind a 
perfect example. As the two gases that compose the 
atmosphere are so united as to secure the greatest 
amount of life and vigorous health, so in Christ these 
two classes of virtues were so united as to secure 
the most healthy action and the accomplishment of 
the highest good, 

5 



50 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

Jjet the church of Christ unite these two elements 
of strength, and she would not only grow with an 
inward sph'ituality, but she would be mighty through 
God to the pulling down of the strong-holds of sin. 
"We should see her embattled hosts marching forth, 
fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an 
army with banners. The church would obtain con- 
quests by an earnest, progressive spirit, and retain 
the advantages gained by a sound and healthy con- 
servatism. "We should neither be afflicted by a dead 
formalism on the one hand, nor by a rash, headstrong 
zeal on the other. As in the physical universe the 
two forces, the centripetal and centrifugal, the one 
drawing the planets toward the sun, and the other 
drawing them from it, secure the regular and harmo- 
nious action of these bodies around the central orb, 
so these two moral forces in combination, would keep 
the chm'ch at the same time in motion and in its 
orbit around its central head, and bring every part 
of it within the light and heat of the great Sun of 
Righteousness. 

The tempter, failing in this effort, makes a third 
attempt, and endeavors to excite in the Saviour the 
spuit of am.bition. He takes him to an exceeding 
high mountain, and shows to him the kingdoms of 
the world, and says, "All this power will I give thee 
and the glory of them, if thou wilt fall down and 
worship me." If we take this language literally, 
confining however the word "world," to mean the 
land of Judea and the surrounding nations, then the 
mountain described by the Abbe Mariti could have 
afforded the prospect referred to. Speaking of the 



TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS. 51 

view he says, " Here we enjoyed the most beautiful 
prospect imaginable. This part of the mountain 
overlooks the mountains of Arabia, the country of 
Gilead and of the Amorites, the plains of Moab and 
Jericho, the river Jordan, and the whole extent of the 
Dead Sea." If, however, we do not take the lan- 
guage literally, then we may suppose that a vision 
of the kingdoms of the world, and the splendor and 
glory of them, passed before the mind of Christ. In 
either case the object of the temptation is the same, 
namely, to induce the Messiah to establish an out- 
ward and worldly kingdom, which may be purchased 
with all its splendors, by a single act of worship ren- 
dered to Satan. This the tempter m^ges him to do, 
rather than attempt to create a spiritual empire that 
must necessarily be gradually developed, and must 
advance in the hearts of men, without observation 
or the aid of external attractions. Thus Satan en- 
deavored to secularize Christ's views of dominion, 
and induce him to employ his aid in establishing and 
extending his sovereignty. But the Saviour, indig- 
nant at so revolting a proposition, and filled with 
abhorrence at the idea of worshipping a fallen and 
created being, said, " Get thee behind me, or get thee 
hence, Satan; for it is written, thou shalt worship 
the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." 
This temptation is so full of blasphemy, that the 
Saviour repels it at once, and in the exercise of his 
divine authority, commands Satan to leave him. 
And by resisting it, Christ virtually protests against 
every endeavor to associate his kingdom with the 
governments of this world. He establishes the prin- 



52 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

ciple that his empire is a spiritual one, — that it is to 
be carried forward by divine influences, and that any 
mixture of worldly ambition, or evil agencies, is hos- 
tile to its progress, and destructive of its pure and 
noble ends. To this principle he clung with the 
greatest tenacity through life, even up to the hour 
when he returned, amid hosts of angels, to the celes- 
tial city. And it was the more necessary that he 
should frequently unfold and insist upon this idea, 
because of the secular views which were entertained 
by even his most sincere and devoted followers. It 
was exceedingly diflicult for them to rise to the con- 
ception of a purely spiritual empire, — an empire 
that should advance by the power of motives and 
moral considerations, — that should obtain conquests 
over the affections, and should be governed by the 
great laws of benevolence w^hich reign in the heav- 
enly kingdom. Besides the natural tendency of the 
mind to worldly and ambitious views, religion had 
been so long associated with the arm of secular 
power, that it was more difficult to build up this 
new idea in the human heart. But it gradually, un- 
der the teachings and example of Christ, worked 
itself into being, and extended from heart to heart, 
until it became a moral force, the influence of which 
was widely and deeply felt. 

Another reason might be assigned for Christ's 
resisting this temptation. These very kingdoms of 
the w^orld would one day come into his possession, 
though in a far different manner from that which 
Satan proposes. For the Son of God had the prom- 
ise that the heathen should be given to him as an 



TEMPTATION IX THE AYILDERNESS. 53 

inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for 
a possession. He would gain them by influences 
brought to bear upon the individual subjects. He 
would conquer them by the power of love. He would 
purify, elevate, and sanctify them, and prepare them 
to be united to his heavenly and everlasting empire. 
He would also receive the glory of them ; a far 
higher and richer glory than the tempter ever con- 
ceived of; the glory of intellectual eminence, lofty 
virtues, and a religious faith and devotion wrought 
out by gospel truth. 

The temptations passed through, and the tempted 
conquered and driven from the field, the scene closes 
by the sudden appearance of holy angels, who come 
to minister to the Lord of glory. From their lofty 
seats above they have watched the conflicts through 
which the Saviour has passed. They have wit- 
nessed his glorious victories, and now they hasten 
with delight to his relief. 

Thus disciplined and fortified, Christ is prepared 
to enter upon his public ministry, and accomplish 
those mighty deeds and glorious achievements that 
will give him a name that is above every name, — a 
name before which every knee shall bow, and the 
authority of which every tongue shall acknowledge. 



V. 

HIS MIGHTY DEEDS. 



'* Go AND SHOW JOHN THOSE THINGS WHICH YE DO HEAR AND 
see; THE BLIND RECEIVE THEIR SIGHT, THE LAME WALK, THE 
LEPERS ARE CLEANSED, THE DEAF HEAR, AND THE DEAD ARE 

RAISED UP." — St. Matthew xi. 4, 5. 

Much has been written for and against the doctrine 
of miracles, as taught in both the Old and New Tes- 
taments. The enemies of Christianity have been par- 
ticularly zealous in assailing this article of our faith, 
and laboring to break down its testimony in favor of 
the divine origin of the Gospel. Hume, the prince 
of modern sceptics, taxed his ingenuity, wit, and all 
the resources of his philosophy, to expel from the 
court of human reason these witnesses. Others have 
framed ingenious arguments against the doctrine, and 
attempted to show that it could not be sustained 
upon any reasonable grounds. But the doctrine has 
passed through the severe ordeal of opposition un- 
harmed. Indeed, it has gathered strength from every 
conflict with its adversaries, and every new investiga- 
tion has added weight to its authority. 

In considering this subject, our first remark is, that 



HIS MIGHTY DEEDS. OO 

it is perfectly reasonable that the mission of Christ 
should be attested by miracles. If a messenger is sent 
to us from the eternal throne, or if a system of relig- 
ion is exhibited to us with claims upon our belief 
and adoption, it must necessarily be accompanied 
with such evidences as will convince om* judgment. 
"We need in such a case more than ordinary proof. 
We need that kind and degree of testimony that the 
importance of the case, and the greatness of the con- 
sequences, demand. It is true that we can form some 
opinion of the character of communications pur- 
porting to come from God, from their inherent excel- 
lence, and the reputation for honesty and integrity 
that those enjoy who deliver the messages. But this 
is not enough to satisfy the mind ; nor is it sufficient 
to place the system upon a solid and permanent 
basis. For wise men may utter sound maxims and 
useful sentiments ; and persons of unimpeached in- 
tegrity may advance theories which they believe are 
founded in truth, and are essential to man's highest 
welfare. In a matter that affects our spiritual inter- 
ests, and the immortal destiny of the soul, we re- 
quire the most clear and positive proof. If we are 
told that God speaks, we ask for proof that the voice 
which we hear is divine, before we can receive the 
communications that are made. And in what way 
can this proof be furnished, so readily and effectually, 
as by displays of miraculous power ? Let the indi- 
vidual or individuals claiming to give us divine 
teachings, suspend the laws of nature, or perform 
deeds that require the exercise of omnipotent power, 
and they furnish us the highest possible proof of their 



56 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

.rincerity, and of the genuineness of their messages, 
How if it was necessary that mankind should re- 
ceive a divine revelation, — if it was necessary that 
a teacher sent from God should come to enlighten 
ihe ignorant, reclaim the vicious, roll away the moral 
darkness from the earth, and unfold a spiritual sys- 
tem that would prepare the human family for the 
■solemnities and joys of an eternal state, then it was 
equally necessary that these communications should 
be attested by miracles. Indeed, the very idea of a 
divine revelation, or mission, involves a display of 
miraculous power. The two are inseparably con- 
nected. 

The inquiry next arises, How can the genuineness 
^and credibility of miracles be proved? I answer, 
they can be proved like any other phenomena or 
facts in history, by the testimony of competent 
and honest witnesses. There are various kinds of 
evidence employed in the different departments of 
human knowledge. By the evidence of our senses 
we judge of the existence of external objects, and 
the reality of phenomena that pass under our ob- 
servation. In the sciences, we reason upon mathe- 
matical principles ; in morals we depend upon moral 
proof, and for the truth of the facts of history we 
rely upon human testimony. The authority of these 
several kinds of evidence in their various depart- 
ments must be admitted, or nothing can be proved. 
If the force of human testimony be denied, then we 
involve the whole past history of mankind in doubt 
and uncertainty. We swing out upon an ocean of 
scepticism, exposed to the wild tempests of unbelief. 



HIS MIGHTY DEEDS. 57 

with no light to guide us to the regions of truth. 
But if the testimony of competent witnesses be ad- 
mitted i^ regard to any facts or phenomena of his- 
tory, then we claim the same with regard to the 
miracles of Christ. If it is capable of proof that 
such a man as Socrates lived and uttered the wise 
maxims that are ascribed to him, or that C£esar 
lived and led forth the Roman armies to conquest, 
or that Luther wrought out the great Reformation, it 
is equally capable of proof that Jesus Christ lived 
and performed the mighty deeds which are ascribed 
to him. If a sufficient number of honest and com- 
petent witnesses are examined, all of whom testify 
that they saw Christ heal the sick, restore the blind 
to sight, and raise the dead ; and if abundant evi- 
dence is furnished that they could not be deceived 
by false appearances, nor deluded by any spirit of 
infatuation, then we are bound to admit their testi- 
mony, or to give up entirely the basis upon which all 
such testimony rests. 

Admitting, then, the validity of human testimony, 
let us briefly examine the miracles which Christ is 
said to have performed. 

The character and circumstances of the witnesses 
were such as to favor the credibility of Christ's 
miracles. Those who saw these remarkable displays 
of omnipotent power, and bear testimony to their 
reality, were men whose honesty and integrity had 
never been impeached, — whose simplicity of charac- 
ter placed them above the suspicion of attempting 
to deceive the people, and whose strong common 
sense and freedom from fanaticism, render it in the 



58 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

highest degree improbable that they could them- 
selves have been deluded. Besides, they had no 
motive for giving currency to such events, unless 
they actually took place ; for they were aware how 
extremely unpopular the cause of Christ was among 
the Jewish people ; and how much it was to their 
worldly disadvantage to be connected with such a 
movement. They knew, too, that with the truth on 
their side, they would be, by many, disbelieved, and 
by others persecuted for having any confidence in 
the reality of these miracles. Yet they went for- 
ward, everywhere preaching this doctrine, and sub- 
jecting themselves to every form of self-denial, in 
order to induce men to embrace the truth. So fully 
convinced were they of the Messiahship and divinity 
of Christ, that they were ready to lay down their 
lives in defence of their faith. Now the idea cannot 
be entertained for a moment, that these, or any other 
men would go through such dangers and sufferings, 
to establish a system of fraud, when that system 
could be of no possible benefit to them either in this 
world or the next. The only advantage that they 
could derive from their doctrines, must necessarily 
come from their truth ; and if their truth could not 
be proved and maintained, then they were of all 
men the most miserable. It is not in accordance 
with any principles of human nature for men to pur- 
sue a course of deception, when that very course is 
disastrous to all their worldly interests. We must 
therefore believe that these disciples were honest and 
sincere in their declarations respecting the miracles 
which Christ performed. It is also equally clear that 



HIS MIGHTY DEEDS. 59 

while they did not attempt to deceive others, they 
were not themselves deceived. They had every op- 
portunity to decide upon the genuineness of these 
miracles that the nature of the case allowed. 

In the first place, they were performed in the most 
public manner, and without any ostentatious display. 
Every one had the opportunity of observing them, 
and of judging of their reality. In the accounts 
that we have of miracles professedly wrought by 
Pagans, they have been performed in secret, or under 
circumstances that prevented the fraud from being 
easily discovered. The same is true of the pretended 
miracles of the Papists. But Christ performed his 
miracles in the most public manner, and in the pres- 
ence of large and promiscuous crowds of people. In 
the streets and public squares of Jerusalem, — in the 
towns and villages of Judea, where great religious 
festivals were held, — by the seaside, which was 
much frequented by the people, he healed the sick, 
cured the lepers, gave hearing to the deaf and sight 
to the blind. Although the opposition that Christ 
met with, would have justified him in making his 
miracles less public, yet he persisted in performing 
them before the whole people, believers and unbe- 
lievers, friends and scoffers, in order that he might 
disarm prejudice, and demonstrate to all who were 
susceptible to the power of evidence, that he was the 
long promised Messiah, the Son of the Most High. 

Nor did this publicity partake in the least degree 
of ostentation or pride. The Saviour performed his 
miracles with the utmost simplicity and dignity. 
Many of them were apparently called forth by some 



60 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

incident or casual circumstance. Oftentimes those 
who were healed were directed not to speak of what 
had been done for them ; and Christ, after making 
most wonderful displays of miraculous power, would 
retire to some secret retreat to avoid any demon- 
stration of feeling that the spectators might be dis- 
posed to make. His simple design appears to have 
been, to allow these mighty deeds to stand upon their 
own merits, and to produce those convictions upon 
the minds of men which they were calculated to in- 
spire. He did not need any artificial aids or vain 
displays to attract attention and interest the public 
mind. He did not either ordinarily trouble himself 
to argue the question of the genuineness of his mir- 
acles with the captious, the curious, or the unbeliev- 
ing. After his arrest, and while under examination 
before the high-priest, he said, " I spake openly to 
the world : I ever taught in the synagogue, and in 
the temple, whither the Jews always resort : and in 
secret have I done nothing^ His doctrines, life, and 
deeds were all open for public inspection. He de- 
sired to have them freely and fully investigated, and 
he wished also to have their design clearly under- 
stood. For his purpose was, not to attain any selfish 
end, no^ to gratify a personal ambition, but to estab- 
lish upon a broad and deep basis a great system of 
moral truth, — a system adapted to the wants and 
condition of the world, — suited to man's spiritual 
nature, and capable of satisfying his purest and 
loftiest desires. This noble purpose was ever before 
his mind. It guided him as a cloud by day and a 
pillar of fire by night. And in prosecuting his work, 



HIS MIGHTY DEEDS. 61 

he performed most of his mighty deeds among the 
poor, the neglected, and the sorrowing. These 
classes more than any others brought their sick, lamey 
and blind to him. He moved among their abodes as^ 
an angel of mercy, dispensing with a liberal hand 
his blessings. So full was he of divine power, that 
virtue went forth even from the hem of his garment^ 
and healed a woman who simply touched it. 

We should also consider, as bearing upon our 
argument, the number of the miracles which Christ 
performed. Besides the particular instances recorded^ 
the Evangelists frequently tell us that great multi- 
tudes of people were brought to Christ, and that he 
healed them all. Wherever he went, the fame of his 
miracles, and of his unparalleled benevolence went 
before him, and he found the streets lined with the 
sick, and those who were suffering from various in^ 
firmities. St. Matthew says that "Jesus went about 
all Galilee teaching in their synagogues, and healing 
all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease 
among the people." John says, " Many other signs 
did Jesus which are not written. But these are 
WTritten that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, 
the Son of God, and that believing ye might have 
life through his name." 

These miracles also embrace the greatest variety. 
When impostors pretend to work miracles, they 
usually confine themselves to a few of one or two 
classes. But the Saviour was ready to exercise his 
power not only in reference to every disease, but 
every evil and calamity to which mankind were sub- 
ject. He gave strength to the infirm, health to the 

6 



62 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

lepers, vigor to the palsied arm, reason to the insane, 
and called the dead to life. Four times he performed 
the great miracle of raising the dead : once upon the 
ruler's daughter ; then on the widow's son, as he was 
being carried for burial ; again on Lazarus, after he 
had been in the tomb four days ; and last, the most 
glorious instance of all, upon himself. The elements, 
too, were under his control. By the word of his 
power he stilled the tempest and calmed the waves 
of the ocean. He walked abroad as the Lord of 
nature, — as a monarch possessing supreme authority. 
And he appeals to his miracles as the evidences of 
the truth of his system of doctrines and of his divine 
mission. " The works that I do bear witness of me 
that the Father hath sent me." Besides, he received 
from the Father direct testimony to his sonship and 
divinity. His birth was a miracle ; and, during his 
life, three times was a voice heard from heaven, de- 
claring him to be the Son of God. In the hour of 
his crucifixion a supernatural darkness overspread 
the heavens. The earth was rocked by a heavy 
earthquake. The rocks were rent asunder; graves 
were opened ; and all nature sympathized with the 
death of its Lord. 

The effects which the miracles of Christ produced 
upon the popular mind is also a point worthy of 
notice. Multitudes were led by them to believe on 
his name. Nicodemus frankly said, " We know 
that thou art a teacher come from God ; for no man 
can do these miracles which thou doest except God 
be with him." Others, in spite of their early edu- 
cation, strong religious prejudices, and the influence 



HIS MIGHTY DEEDS. 63 

of friends, were compelled to admit the evidence 
and believe on Christ. During the first century 
of Christianity, hundreds of thousands, embracing 
Jews, Greeks, Romans, and many who had been the 
violent opposers of the Gospel, adopted the new 
religion, and became its earnest and eloquent advo- 
cates. Yes, thousands who had labored to crush the 
faith as it is in Jesus, became convinced of their 
error, and readily sacrificed every worldly advan- 
tage to secure an interest in the Saviour of mankind. 
They encountered the severest opposition, and in 
many instances submitted to the horrors of a cruel 
death, rather than deny their Lord. 

It is also a significant fact, that in the regions 
where these miracles were wrought, their reality was 
not denied, though they were ascribed to other than 
a divine agency. The Jews on one occasion attrib- 
uted the miracles of Christ to Beelzebub ; and while 
the Saviour was upon the cross, they declared that 
he had saved others, and yet could not save himself. 
Celsus, Porpyhry, Julian, and other enemies of Chris- 
tianity, were forced by the overwhelming evidences 
in the case, to admit the reality of the miracles of 
, Christ, but they ascribed them to magic. Their ad- 
mission, however, shows that the proofs in their favor 
were irresistible. 

Indeed, if we look at the interesting character of 
the miracles themselves, the circumstances under 
which they were performed, and the number of hon- 
est and truthful spectators who witnessed them, we 
cannot see how the most bitter enemies of Chris- 
tianity could deny their reality. 



64 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

The first miracle which Christ wrought, namely, 
the turning of water into wine at the marriage feast 
in Galilee, bears every mark of being genuine. The 
feeding of five thousand persons in the wilderness, 
with a few loaves and fishes, was a miracle performed 
under circumstances that clearly show the impossi- 
bility of fraud or deception. So great was the im- 
pression made by it upon the minds of the people, 
and so fully were they convinced of Christ's super- 
natural power, that they desired at once to make him 
a king. That such a number of persons, collected in 
a desert place, far from any village, and with no vis- 
ible or human means of obtaining a sufiicient supply 
of food, could have been deceived or imposed upon, 
does not fall within the bounds of possibility. The 
raising of Lazarus was also a most striking miracle, 
and one that produced a profound sensation through- 
out the country. 

"With such proofs, we cannot doubt the reality and 
genuineness of our Saviour's miracles. They are 
before us as the credentials of his Messiahship and 
divinity, — as the evidences of the truth of his doc- 
trines, and of the justness of his claims to our faith 
and love. Let them be cordially received, not only 
to our intellects, but to our hearts, and in eternity we 
shall behold the more splendid and glorious displays 
of his infinite power and boundless benevolence. 



VL 

PUEIFICATION OF THE TEMPLE. 



"Take these things hence; make not my father's house 

AN HOUSE or MERCHANDISE.'^ — St. John ii. 16. 

We have two accounts of the cleansing of the 
temple by our Lord, one by St. John which places 
it at the beginning of Christ's public ministry dur- 
ing his first visit at Jerusalem, and another, given by 
the other Evangelists, which places it at the close of 
his labors, after his triumphal entry into the city. 
Whether both of these narratives refer to the same 
occasion, or whether there were two instances of 
purification, similar in their circumstances and re- 
sults, we shall not attempt to determine. While 
some take the ground that this event happened but 
once, and that the reputation of John for chronologi- 
cal accuracy, gives to his statement the most author- 
ity, we see nothing unreasonable in the supposition 
that Christ commenced and closed his ministry, by 
thus vindicating the purity of the sacred temple. 
The miracles which Christ performed during the 
feast, and in the presence of vast multitudes of peo- 
ple^ established, as we have seen, his influence and 

6* 



66 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

authority among them. Their views, however, of 
his true character and the precise nature of his mis- 
sion, were as yet vague and unsettled. But the im- 
pression was very general that a teacher of no ordi- 
nary wisdom, and a prophet of no ordinary power, 
had appeared. 

As was natural, the temple, with its interesting 
associations and holy rites, was an object of the 
Saviour's highest regard and veneration. He viewed 
with the deepest sorrow the desecration of its sacred 
courts, and resolved in the exercise of his authority, 
to expel the traders who had made his Father's 
house, a house of merchandise. 

The temple in the time of Christ was a most 
splendid and magnificent structure. Herod, in his 
fondness for elegant public buildings, and his desire 
to appease the Jews, had expended upon the rebuild- 
ing of the edifice vast sums of money. It is de- 
scribed by Josephus as possessing every quality that 
was calculated to please the eye, or excite the aston- 
ishment of the beholder. Being covered over with 
plates of gold, it reflected with such intensity the 
rays of the rising sun, that one could not gaze upon 
it. At a great distance it had the appearance of a 
mountain covered with snow; as those parts that 
were not adorned with gold, were exceedingly white. 
The stones of which it was composed were of im- 
mense size, and the walls and gates were decorated 
in the most costly and superb manner. Every thing 
that wealth and art could do, was done to add to the 
magnificence of the edifice, and render it an object 
of universal admiration. Although the regard of the 



PURIFICATION OF THE TEMPLE. 67 

Jews for the temple was such, that they resented the 
least disrespect or contempt that was manifested 
towards it, and would in many instances prefer to 
suffer death rather than see it defiled, yet by a 
gradual process, disorders had crept into the sacred 
courts, that excited the Saviour's indignation. To 
accommodate those who came from a distance to 
Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, booths had been erected 
in the court, where they could be supplied with every 
thing necessary for this purpose. Money-changers 
w^ere also stationed there to exchange the Roman 
and Greek coins into Jewish money, for those who 
were required to pay the half-sheckel tribute to the 
temple. At first, this trade was carried on with 
some degree of decorum, but gradually the avarice 
of the merchants and brokers predominated over 
every other principle. The sacred court was pro- 
faned by the presence of noisy and covetous traders, 
who greatly disturbed the worship of the temple, 
and disgusted those w^ho had the spuit of devotion. 

Nor can we fail to recognize in this outward and 
palpable desecration, a picture of the secularization 
of the w^hole Jewish theocracy. The spirit of w^orld- 
liness pervaded the priesthood and the rulers, and 
entered inix) the most solemn services of the temple. 
In the apparent zeal to rigidly fulfil the outward ob- 
servances of the church, the people lost sight of the 
great principles of right, justice, and holiness. And, 
indeed, in all ages of the world w^e discover this 
same tendency to secularize the purest forms of 
religious faith. Man is more ready to drag down the 
religion to suit his worldly and corrupt desires, than 



68 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

to allow it to elevate and spiritualize his nature. 
The religious element being an acknowledged power 
in society, ambitious and unprincipled men seize it, 
and employ it to subserve their selfish and base pur- 
poses. The ecclesiastical is united with the civil 
authority, and the combination forms a system of 
despotism that is destructive to the spiritual interests 
of society. The history of the Romish church fur- 
nishes a fearful illustration of the power for evil, of a 
secularized religion. Here we see the purest doc- 
trines and holiest aspirations of the soul perverted, 
and made use of to accomplish the most corrupt 
ends. The light of divine truth is employed to keep 
men in darkness. The mercy and pardon offered 
through the atonement, are used as instruments for 
obtaining the most complete supremacy over the 
human soul. Christianity is crushed in the name of 
Christianity. Human progress is impeded by the 
only system that can advance the race in intelli- 
gence, moral culture, and happiness. A more sad 
and ruinous perversion cannot be imagined, than the 
perversion of a pure religious faith for worldly pur- 
poses. It is as though men should combine, suppos- 
ing they had the power, to turn the light of the sun 
into darkness, or to poison the atmosphere upon 
which life and health depend. Yet in all ages it has 
been found that human depravity is equal to the 
work of perverting the purest and most sacred doc- 
trines. Even in our own day, the advocates of sys- 
tems of iniquity seek for support in the Holy Scrip- 
tures. They claim the divine sanction for forms of 
evil that violate every principle of justice, and feeling 



PURIFICATION OF THE TEMPLE. 69 

of humanity. Not content to let the systems rest 
upon their own merits or demerits, they labor to 
plant them upon God's truth. They seek to estab- 
lish wrong upon right, injustice upon integrity, and 
falsehood upon truth. And had they the power, 
they would secularize the whole Gospel, and turn 
every house of worship in Christendom into a house 
of merchandise. 

In the corruptions which had crept into the sacred 
courts at Jerusalem, doubtless many of the Jews 
acquiesced. For being themselves under the sw^ay 
of avarice and a sordid ambition, they were satisfied 
if the forms of worship and the rites of the Mosaic 
system were preserved. But as our Lord entered the 
temple for worship, he was filled with indignation at 
the spectacle before him. The profanation was so 
glaring; the worldliness and avarice of the traders 
presented such a contrast to the holy purposes to 
which the temple had been consecrated, that the 
Saviour at once resolved that such abuses should no 
longer exist. Making therefore a scourge of small 
cords, which were used to tie the beasts with, he 
drove out all those who sold sheep and oxen, and 
overthrew the table of the money-changers : " And 
said unto them that sold doves, take these things 
hence ; make not my Father's house a house of mer- 
chandise." 

We cannot suppose that any force was used by 
Christ in expelling these traders, for this was contrary 
to his character and the whole spirit of his mission. 
Besides, unless a miracle was wrought, of which w^e 
have no proof, he might easily have been resisted and 



70 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

overpowered by the multitudes, whose business and 
hopes of gain were thus destroyed. We must con- 
clude from the circumstances of the case, that it was 
by his influence and authority as an acknowledged 
prophet ; by the earnestness and zeal that he mani- 
fested, by the indignation that flashed from his eye, 
and the words of solemn and momentous truth that 
fell from his lips, that the traders were induced to 
leave the sacred courts. In addition to this, their 
consciences were aroused. They knew that they had 
been guilty of a most gross profanation, and that 
they had no right to fill the sacred courts with beasts 
and merchandise. They doubtless looked upon the 
scourge as the symbol of the divine judgments that 
would befall them if they persisted in their wicked- 
ness. They felt that he who addressed them spoke 
by authority, and that it would be of little avail to 
resist his commands. 

In this act was foreshadowed one of the great pur- 
poses of the Messiah's advent, which was to separate 
secular from sacred things ; to divorce the spirit of 
worldliness from the spirit of religion. Early in his 
ministry he laid down the great principle, that men 
could not serve God and mammon. There could 
not be two supreme principles in the human soul at 
the same time. One would necessarily and inevi- 
tably destroy the other. If avarice or ambition, or 
any form of worldliness, held possession of the forces 
and affections of the soul, the spirit of true worship 
would become extinct. There is, indeed, no incon- 
sistency between a due attention to worldly business 
and the discharge of the highest religious duties. We 



PURIFICATION OF THE TEMPLE. 71 

are bound to serve God, by diligence in business as 
well as fervency in spirit. And the arenas of trade 
and commerce open a wide field for the exercise of 
the noblest virtues, integrity, honor, and usefulness. 
But it is the crowding of the merchandise of the 
world within the precincts of religion, that the 
Saviour so strenuously opposed. It is the union of 
elements that cannot be mingled, of forces that in 
their very nature are antagonistic, that he so emphat- 
ically denounced. " My kingdom," he declared, " is 
not of this world." It does not seek the patronage 
of the world ; does not ask its favor, nor depend for 
support upon its principles or maxims. It is a pure, 
spiritual kingdom, based upon a more lasting founda- 
tion than those upon which earthly empires rest, 
having nobler aims and more glorious rewards than 
those which men seek after. The forces by which it 
is carried forward are all spiritual. Its end is the 
sanctiiication of human hearts, — the preparation of 
man for a purer and loftier state of being. It is a 
kingdom which embraces the infinite attributes of 
Jehovah, reflects the life, principles, and spirit of the 
Saviour, and is the great source of moral light and 
true happiness. Its power, therefore, depends upon 
its fi'eedom from worldly influences ; and its progress 
has been in proportion to the spirituality and self- 
denial of its advocates. Whenever they have come 
out from the world and nobly battled for truth and 
righteousness, then this kingdom has advanced. But 
w^hen it has been united with the civil government, 
or employed to excuse or sustain any form of evil, it 
has lost ground. 



72 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

An act so public and unusual as the expulsion of 
the traders from the sacred courts, could not fail to 
be known at once by the priests and rulers. They 
were doubtless interested in maintaining this traffic, 
as it must have added to their profits, and helped to 
sustain their authority. They came therefore to 
Christ, and while they did not question the justness 
and propriety of his course, they desired more dis- 
tinct and satisfactory proofs of his prophetic mission 
than they had heretofore received. They said to 
him, " What sign showest thou to us, seeing that 
thou doest these things ? " They thought that if he 
should immediately perform some stupendous mira- 
cle, he would justify his conduct in the eyes of the 
nation. But he replied, " Destroy this temple, and in 
three days I will raise it up." Astonished at such a 
declaration, they exclaimed, " Forty and six years 
was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up 
in three days ? " To appreciate the full force of this 
exclamation, and of the impression that the saying 
of Christ was calculated to make, we need to under- 
stand the precise import of these words ; especially 
as the second templcj erected by the Jews after the 
captivity, was completed in twenty-one years. 

As has already been intimated, the temple in the 
time of our Lord was really the work of Herod the 
Great. He did not disturb the old building until he 
had spent two years in making preparation for the 
new one. "Josephus declares that a thousand 
wagons were employed during that time in convey- 
ing the stones and timber, that ten thousand artifi- 
cers fitted all things for the building, and that one 



PURIFICATION OF THE TEMPLE. 73 

thousand priests who were skilled in architecture, 
oversaw and directed the works. This last is a re- 
markable fact, illustrative and confirmatory of the* 
general impression, that the great Levitical body- 
employed their abundant leisure largely in the culti- 
vation of the higher branches of learning, science 
and art, law, medicine, and architecture. After twa 
years had been thus spent in preparation, the old 
temple was taken down, not all at once, as some 
state, but by degrees, as fast as the parts removed 
could be replaced by the new building. This took 
place in the twenty-first year of Herod's reign,, 
seventeen years before Christ, and therefore forty-six 
before the first passover of our Lord's ministry. It 
is true that the main body of the temple was fin- 
ished, so as to be fit for divine service in nine years 
and a half; yet a great number of workmen were 
still employed in carrying on the out-buildings during^ 
all the time of our Saviour's abode upon the earth, 
and even for some years after his death." 

Siich being the facts in the case, the Jews received 
with mingled astonishment and indignation the re- 
mark of Christ, " Destroy this temple, and in three 
days I will raise it up." Besides the presumption 
manifested in their view by such a declaration, they 
regarded it as in the highest degree disrespectful ta 
allude in such a manner to the temple. They under- 
stood the words in a literal sense, although they ad- 
mit of a symbolical and prophetic meaning. Christ 
knew that the splendid and imposing structure before 
him would be destroyed, and that not one stone 
would be left upon another. He had clearly before 

7 



74 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

his mind the long train of circumstances that would 
lead to such a catastrophe. And he knew that in 
the fall of the temple, the system of rites and formal 
worship of which it was the type, would fall with it. 
Not that any fundamental principle or law of the 
Mosaic dispensation would pass away, for truth, in 
whatever relation or garb, is unchangeable and 
eternal. But whatever was temporary, local, or ex- 
clusive would be swept away. A national religion 
would be abolished, to prepare the way for a religion 
that would embrace all nations. A temple made of 
perishable materials would fall, that a spuitual tem- 
ple might rise, more splendid than that upon which 
Herod had lavished his wealth, more accessible to 
the masses of the people, and better suited to the 
moral necessities of man. At the time, however, 
that Christ uttered this dim prophecy, there were no 
external indications that the solid and magnificent 
structure would crumble to dust, and that a new, 
spiritual, and more enduring edifice would rise, 
adapted to universal worship. For Christ was com- 
paratively but little known, and his followers were 
very few. But the divine architect knew his powers 
and resources. He knew that there was a force 
within himself to accomplish all that he might pre- 
dict or desire. Although he commenced the prepara- 
tions for his sacred edifice on a small scale, yet he 
knew that the work would advance ; that the num- 
bers devoted to his service would increase, that the 
temple would rise, and its magnificent proportions 
and costly decorations attract the gaze of millions ; 
that within its walls whole nations would gather. 



PURIFICATION OF THE TEMPLE. 75 

and that the praises of joyous thousands and the 
incense of pure devotion would ascend to the 
Supreme Father. 

But the words of Jesus in connection with the 
time specified, " three days," had a most important 
prophetic meaning, although it was not understood 
by the Jews. They requked of him who had driven 
out the traders a sign, as evidence of his authority. 
He assured them that he would give to them a sign ; 
but it was one that they are not yet prepared to ap- 
preciate or believe in. He might at that moment 
have wrought a miracle to satisfy them on this par- 
ticular point. But he had a vast and comprehensive 
plan before him to fulfil. He was acting not for the 
Jews alone, but for all the inhabitants of the earth ; — 
not to gain a temporary influence, but to establish 
his authority for all time. He therefore leaves his 
hearers to meditate upon the utterance that has so 
astonished them, and goes his way. In due time the 
sign will be given, — a sign that will be the crowning 
miracle of Christ's career. After being persecuted, 
scourged, and crucified, he will appear as the con- 
queror of the last great enemy, death, — the noblest 
conquest that can be conceived of by the human 
mind. And this miracle will establish his authority 
among all nations. It may be to the Jews a stum- 
blingblock, and to the Greeks foolishness, but to the 
mass of the human family, it will be the power of 
God and the wisdom of God unto salvation. 

Although the people did not comprehend the 
meaning of Christ's declaration, yet his words made 
a deep impression upon their minds, and they were 



76 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

ready, when the opportunity occurred, to resent tlie 
indignity which they thought had been cast upon the 
temple. Such an opportunity the crucifixion of our 
Lord furnished ; and as the multitude passed by, 
" they reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying, 
Ah, thou that destroyest the temple and buildest it 
in three days, save thyself; if thou be the Son of 
God, come down from the cross." But how little did 
those maddened persecutors realize that they were, 
at that very moment, fulfilling the first part of Christ's 
prophetic words, and that in three days the whole 
would be fulfilled. They were engaged in destroy- 
ing the " temple of the living God," but in three 
days it would rise with new beauty, and clothed with 
immortal splendor. 

Nor did the disciples understand the true import 
of the Saviour's words until after the resurrection. 
" Then," says St. John, they " remembered that he 
had said this unto them, and they believed the Scrips 
ture, and the word which Jesus had said." Their 
faith was confirmed in the divine mission of their 
Master, and they were stimulated to press forward 
with renewed vigor in his service. His authority was 
established, not only to purify the temple, but to 
purify all human hearts, and render them fit temples 
for the indwellieg of the Holy Spuit. 



VIL 

INTERVIEW WITH NICODEMUS. 



"Verily, verily i say tjnto thee, except a max be born of 
water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the 
KINGDOM OF GOD." — St. John iii. 5. 

The visit which Christ thus early in his ministry 
received from Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, afforded 
him an opportunity to develop the fundamental prin- 
ciples of his system of truth. Though Nicodemus 
w^as a Pharisee, and an influential member of the 
Sanhedrim, yet his mind was free from the spirit of 
bigotry and intolerance which characterized so many 
of his associates. He was evidently an honest in- 
quirer after truth. He was open to conviction, and 
to the force of evidences that appealed to his reason 
and judgment. The miracles of Christ seem first to 
have attracted his attention ; and, anxious to know 
more of the character and teachings of so remarkable 
a person, and one who possessed such supernatural 
powers, he sought an interview with him by night. 
Two motives may have influenced him in selecting 



78 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

this season for his visit. He may have wished not 
to strengthen the suspicion which might already have 
been excited, that he was favorably disposed towards 
Jesus ; and he may have desired to see him alone, 
and selected the hours of night, because during the 
day the attention of the Messiah was absorbed by 
ihe multitudes who surrounded him. 

On being introduced^ into the presence of Christ, 
" he said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a 
teacher come from God ; for no man can do these 
miracles which thou doest, except God be with him." 
The use of the title Rabbi, on this occasion, was very 
remarkable, considering the dignity and exalted sta- 
tion of the visitor, and the humble origin and ap- 
pearance of our Lord. It indicated the reverence and 
confidence which Nicodemus entertained for the 
being of whom he sought instruction. Participating, 
as he did, in the general expectation which had been 
awakened by John the Baptist, that the reign of the 
Messiah was at hand, and feeling that the existing 
institutions of religion had in a measure lost their 
power, he deemed it possible that this remarkable 
person might be the long expected Messiah. His 
confidence was further expressed in the declaration, 
" we know that thou art a teacher sent from God ; " 
and the evidence is, '' no man can do these miracles 
that thou doest, except God be with him." In the 
expression " we," he may have included some of his 
colleagues of the sanhedrim, or he may have de- 
signed to convey the idea, that it was generally 
believed, though few were willing to acknowledge it, 
that he was a teacher sent from God, and endowed 



INTERVIEW WITH NICODEMUS. 79 

with supernatural powers. But Christ, knowing the 
state of mind and moral wants of Nicodemus, and 
not caring to converse with him upon the messianic 
kingdom, and those topics to which he attached the 
most importance, at once announced a doctrine new 
and startling to his auditor, and one that was di- 
rectly opposed to his whole system. " Except a man 
be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 

The fundamental idea of the system of the Phari- 
sees was, that their* Jewish descent would secure to 
them an entrance into the kingdom of God. Christ 
seeks to destroy the force of this idea in the mind of 
Nicodemus, and at the same time he indirectly shows 
him that faith in the miracles which had been 
A^TOUght, was not sufficient to secure the salvation 
of the soul. Besides, he announces a general truth, 
and one that universally applies to all men, and that 
is, the necessity of a spiritual regeneration. In op- 
position to a dependence upon natural birth in a 
particular line of descent; in opposition to an ad- 
herence to external rites and forms, and expectations 
based upon a secular kingdom, he announces to the 
world the necessity of the divine life in the soul. 
This is the central principle of his great system of 
truth, — the principle that is to go forth to sanctify 
human hearts, revolutionize the nations, overthrow sys- 
tems of error, and prepare men for the kingdom of God. 

That this doctrine was received with surprise and 
perplexity by Nicodemus, does not seem to us at all 
s^trange, when we consider the state of the religious 
-community at that period. The prevailing sects in 
- Judea were the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes, 



80 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

severally representing the elements of formalism, 
scepticism, and mysticism. The former were by far 
the most powerful, and had the greatest authority in 
religious and civil matters. Their reverence for the 
Mosaic law, their rigidness in observing the rites and 
ceremonies of religion, and their apparent sanctity, 
gave them great influence with the people. They 
hoped to reach heaven by their frequent fasting, ab- 
lutions, long prayers, and almsgiving. Their pride, 
avarice, and licentiousness, under the cloak of hy- 
pocrisy, are fully brought to view in the writings of 
the Evangelists. 

The Sadducees, their rivals, rejected many of the 
doctrines of the ancient faith, and were distinguished 
for their national pride, and hostility to a spiritual reli- 
gion. The Essenes, though they had many com- 
mendable traits and virtues, yet had but little influ- 
ence over the mass of the people. " In these cir- 
cumstances,'' says an able writer, " the religion of 
their fathers, yet revered as a form, had become cold 
and sterile, a mere engine of political strife. Long 
had the shekinah departed from the temple. The 
voice of its oracle was dumb. More free from the 
tendency to idolatry than in ancient times, and pre- 
served untarnished in the ancient books, Judaism 
had lost all regenerative force. The spirit of proph- 
ecy was extinct. No holy seers predicted the glories 
of the Messiah's reign, or denounced the judgments 
of God against the workers of iniquity. No Debo- 
rah sang under the palm-tree between Ramah and 
Bethel. No Ezekiel thundered between the porch 
and the altar. The word indeed remained ; but it 



INTERVIEW WITH NICODEMUS. 81 

was a dead letter to the great body of the people. 
The formalism of the Pharisees, on the one hand, and 
the scepticism of the Sadducees on the other, para- 
lyzed all pure and earnest feeling 

"In addition to this, infidel and pagan notions, 
introduced through the influence of the court, began 
to prevail in some portions of Judea, particularly in 
Csesarea, the Roman capital of the country ; while 
the mass of the people, especially in the larger cities, 
were intoxicated with a savage fanaticism. Some 
holy hearts, here and there, in the temple and among 
the mountains, consecrated by the memories of the 
past, brooded over the prophecies, and longed for the 
reign of God upon the earth." But over the great 
body of the people, ignorance, superstition, and sen- 
suality reigned. 

Such was the state of Judea when Christ entered 
upon his ministry. In the midst of such formalism 
and moral darkness, he announced the great spiritual 
doctrine of regeneration. He saw the necessity of 
this truth to the purification of the human heart, the 
renovation of society, and the sanctification and sal- 
vation of the soul. Nothing short of this would meet 
the exigencies of the case. Nothing else would break 
and demolish the shell of formalism, dissipate the 
mists of error, and restore to man the divine life. He 
might have labored to abolish certain evil practices 
of the people, and to introduce certain reforms into 
the Jewish religion. But by so doing he would be 
simply working upon the surface of society, while the 
aim of his teachings was, to reach the centre, to place 
in the hearts of men a central force, that might work 



82 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

thence outwardly, and purify and spiritualize the 
whole man. The former course held out, indeed, the 
best prospects of success ; for few minds were pre- 
pared for the latter. A purely spiritual system would 
be understood and appreciated by comparatively few, 
and would be opposed by the mass of the people. It 
would have every form of evil to contend against, — 
a secularized church, a corrupt priesthood, the de- 
pravity and passions of men. But Christ saw that 
it was the only effectual system, and that although 
it would be rejected and opposed, yet it would grad- 
ually work its way into society, and renovate and 
bless the world. 

Having announced this great truth to Nicodemus, 
Christ proceeded to explain to him the nature and the 
efficient cause of the new birth. The mind of the in- 
quu'er being perplexed by what had been announced 
and resting upon the image employed rather than upon 
the thing or principle signified, Christ added, " Except 
a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot 
enter into the kingdom of God." By the baptism of 
water, we know that a proselyte was admitted to the 
Jewish religion, when he publicly declared his renun- 
ciation of idolatry, and his belief in the God of Israel, 
and in the laws of Moses. But this rite was simply 
an emblem of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, The 
soul, still under an inward defilement, needed cleans- 
ing; needed a thorough and complete renovation. 
John, who came baptizing with water, distinctly de- 
clared to the people, that this was not sufficient ; that 
they must be the subjects of a higher baptism, in 
order to secure the favor of God, and enter heaven. 



INTERVIEW^ WITH NICOBEMUS. 83 

" I indeed," said he, " baptize you with water unto 
repentance : but he that cometh after me is mightier 
than I : he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost 
and with fire." 

Nicodemus doubtless understanding the allusion 
to the water, Christ proceeds to unfold the agency 
of the spu'it in the new birth. " That which is born 
of the flesh is flesh," that is, partakes of the cor- 
ruption of man's fallen nature ; while that which is 
born of the spirit is spirit, is like the heavenly Spirit 
in purity and holiness. The former is of the earth, 
earthly. The latter is from above, — cometh down 
from the Father of spirits, whose nature is love, the 
essence of whose being is holiness, The former in- 
troduces one to a world of temporal good, — to the 
enjoyment of the sunlight, the beauties of nature, 
and the various pleasures that here surround us. 
The latter introduces the soul to a higher life, to 
communion with the Father, to the radiance and 
splendors that emanate from the eternal throne, to 
the excellencies and glories of a spiritual kingdom. 
The former affords a field for the development of the 
physical strength, and the maturing of the bodily 
organs. The latter opens a theatre for the exercise 
of the noblest powers and divine faculties of the 
soul. It places within reach of the mind, treasures 
of infinite value, joys that eye hath not seen, nor ear 
heard, nor the heart of man conceived of. " Marvel 
not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. 
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest 
the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it com- 
eth, or whither it goeth : so is every one that is born 



84 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

of the Spirit." As though Christ had said, " Do not 
wonder at the necessity and reality of this change 
wrought in the soul by the Holy Spirit; for though 
it is to you incomprehensible, yet it is not impossi- 
ble. He who has created .the human mind, is fa- 
miliar with all the avenues to it, and can influence it 
by a divine agency, though the process is not appar- 
ent to our vision." The image by which the point 
is illustrated is both forcible and beautiful. When 
we stand upon an eminence, and look around upon 
the various objects of nature reposing in the calm of 
a summer's day, there is no force visible by which 
these objects can be moved or agitated. Every leaf, 
flower, and spire of grass is motionless. Not a rip- 
ple can be discovered upon the surrounding lakes. 
Not a breath is perceptible in the atmosphere. But 
suddenly a change comes over the scene. The 
branches of the trees begin to move to and fro. The 
waters are agitated. The clouds are flying thick and 
fast above our heads. The oaks of the forest bend 
beneath the blast. The calm is exchanged for a 
scene of wild sublimity and awful grandeur. Whence 
the wind cometh and whither it goeth, we know not. 
We may apply to the phenomenon certain laws of 
science touching the action of heat and cold upon 
the atmosphere, but to the spectator no causes are 
visible that give direction and motion to the wind. 
Thus the moral atmosphere around us is charged 
with the elements of a divine agency. The move- 
ments and operations of this supernatural force are 
not visible to human sight. But the effects pro- 
duced by this agency upon the soul, are as marked 



INTERVIEW WITH NICODEMUS. 85 

as those produced by a powerful wind. The breath 
of the Almighty quickens the dormant energies of 
the soul, and gives life and vigor to a spirit before 
dead in trespasses and sins. The fruits of the Spirit 
are experienced, love, joy, peace, longsufFering, gen- 
tleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. The 
mind becomes a garden abounding in the choicest 
fruits, adorned with every virtue, and fragrant with a 
celestial atmosphere. The Spirit itself, the author of 
regeneration, "beareth witness with our spirit that 
we are the children of God." " Whosoever be- 
lieveth," says John, " that Jesus is the Christ, is born 
of God;" and "whatsoever is born of God over- 
cometh the world." 

It is true, that the Holy Spirit has, in a few in- 
stances, been manifested to the senses, as in the dove 
that descended and rested upon the Saviour at the 
time of his baptism; in the cloven tongues of fire 
that rested upon the apostles, and when the " mighty 
rushing wind filled all the house where they were 
sitting." But it is obvious that these manifestations 
were simply emblematical, and were designed to- 
mark the importance of the occasions on which they 
appeared. The agency is purely spiritual. Its work 
is spiritual. Its effects are spiritual. At another- 
time Christ said, " The kingdom of God cometh not 
with observation ; neither shall they say, Lo ! here, 
or lo ! there, for behold it is within you." Its march 
is attended by no outward display of splendor or 
power. No blasts of trumpets announce its approach. 
No steel-clad hosts achieve its conquests, or partici- 
pate in its triumphs. Its progress is in the hearts of 

8 



86 LIFE SCEi^ES OF THE MESSIAH. 

men. It moves among the affections. It subdues 
the will, enlightens the conscience, places God upon 
the throne of the soul; and brings all the feelings, 
desires, and purposes into sweet subjection to his 
authority. 

Under the explanation, graciously given by our 
Lord, light breaks in upon the mind of Nicodemus. 
Yet his perplexity is not entirely removed. " How 
can these things be ? " he asks. Jesus avails himself 
of this exclamation to lead the learned theologian to 
examine his own views and knowledge of divine 
truth, and to feel his need of the Spirit's illumination. 
" Art thou," he says, " a master or teacher of Israel, 
and knowest not these things ? " Dost thou presume 
to guide others in the way of truth and righteousness, 
and art thyself ignorant of that way ? Do not the 
ancient Sciptures which you profess to study and to 
teach, contain this doctrine, as in the words in Eze- 
kiel ? " A new heart also will I give you, and a new 
spirit will I put within you, and cause you to walk 
in my statutes." The Jews held to a general idea of 
a new birth ; but they had substituted the form for 
the spirit ; they had put proselytism and baptism in 
the place of conversion and inward sanctification. 

Then Christ, to prove his sincerity, and the truth 
of his doctrine, and at the same time administer a 
gentle reproof to bis distinguished guest, for being a 
teacher in Israel, and at the same time ignorant of 
the first rudiments of religion, declared : " Verily, 
verily I say unto thee, we speak that we do know and 
testify that we have seen." "We do not teach a sys- 
tem that we do not understand, or concerning which 



INTERVIEW WITH NICODEMUS. 87 

we have any doubts. We have absolute knowledge 
on these points so vital to man's salvation. We tes- 
tify to that we have seen, — to that of which we are 
fully assured in our own minds. We stand upon the 
everlasting rock of divine truth, and bear testimony 
to the great principles that lie at the basis of God's 
spiritual kingdom. 

He then added : " If I have told you earthly things," 
things capable of being illustrated by earthly objects, 
or imagery that is familiar to you, and ye believe 
not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly 
things ? What hope is there that you would have 
faith in any revelations that I might make to you of 
the glories of heaven, the employments of angels, and 
the nature and majesty of the divine character ? And 
the same inquiry may be put to multitudes at the 
present day. If they will not admit the first principles 
of the Christian system; if they w^ill not open their 
, minds to the force of the doctrine that demands a 
thorough renovation of the heart and the life, how 
can they be expected to exercise faith in those spir- 
itual themes and sublime revelations that pertain to 
a heavenly and immortal state ? The foundation must 
obviously be laid before the superstructure can be 
reared. Sound principles must constitute the basis 
of a spiritual education. The blindness must be 
removed from our vision before we can discern celes- 
tial objects. The hardness must be removed from 
the heart, before its sensibilities can be thrilled by the 
joys of a heavenly state and the music of angelic 
choirs. The will must be in unison with the divine 
will, before we can experience the blessedness of being 



88 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

the sons of God and the heirs of an eternal inher- 
itance. 

Christ in the next place unfolds to the mind of 
Nicodemus the design of his advent, and the abso- 
lute necessity of faith in him as the Redeemer of 
the world; thus bringing to view the great moral 
forces, by which, through the aid of the Spirit, the 
work of regeneration was to be accomplished. 

Nicodemus supposed that the Messiah would 
come to be exalted to a magnificent throne, and 
move among men surrounded with the splendors of 
royalty, and receive the homage of the nations. But 
Christ combats this idea with the declaration, "As 
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even 
so must the Son of Man be lifted up ; that whoso- 
ever believeth in him should not perish, but have 
eternal life." The allusion to the brazen serpent may 
not have conveyed to Nicodemus a full and distinct 
view of Christ's sufferings, and the doctrine of the 
atonement, but it was sufficient to stimulate his in- 
quiries, and excite his desires to know more of so 
wonderful and illustrious a teacher. 

Then follow the sublime and cheering words, — 
words that should thrill every heart, and excite the 
everlasting gratitude of every listener, — " For God so 
loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, 
tliat whosoever believeth in him should not perish, 
bat have everlasting life." Though the world was in 
ruins, — though man had forfeited the favor of his 
Maker, — though wars, cruelty, injustice, and oppres- 
sion prevailed among the nations, — though the light 
of an ancient dispensation had become dim, and its 



INTERVIEW WITH NICODEMUS. 89 

solemn rites had degenerated into vain superstitions, 
— though darkness covered the earth and gross dark- 
ness the people, — though the whole race seemed like 
a shattered bark tossed upon the billows of a tem- 
pestuous ocean, and ready at any moment to be 
ingulfed, or be dashed upon the rocks, yet God so 
loved the world as to give his only Son to suffer and 
die for it. Although the exigency of the case re- 
quired an infinite sacrifice, and although the ravages 
of sin could be stayed, and man justified and regen- 
erated only by the crucifixion of the Son of the 
Most High, still heaven was Avilling to make the 
sacrifice. The height, depth, length, and breadth of 
this love, no finite mind can measure. It spreads 
out before us as an ocean boundless and fathomless. 
But the truth is distinctly brought to light, that this 
manifestation of love, wonderful and glorious as it 
is, is not enough to secure the salvation of the soul. 
There must be faith in this Saviour, in his mission, 
in the truths of his great system ; not a dead faith ; 
not a mere intellectual faith ; but a living, vital, soul- 
pervading faith, — a faith that will work a thorough 
renovation of the character, a regeneration of the 
spirit. And the mind that opens itself to the full 
power of this principle commences its real life. It is 
placed in just relations to God, his government, and 
the moral universe. It is united to Christ as the 
branch is united to the vine, and draws thence its 
spiritual nourishment and force. Henceforth there is 
before it a sublime and glorious career. Progress in 
knowledge, holiness, and happiness is its destiny. 

8* 



.90 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

God is its end, heaven is its home, and immortal 
blessedness is its portion. 

These great truths of the Gospel system made, as 
we have reason to believe, a salutary impression upon 
the mind of Nicodemus. • His defence of Christ in 
the Sanhedrim (John vii. 50), and the part that he 
took in the bmial of Christ (John xix. 39), lead us to 
believe that he received " the truth as it is in Jesus." 



VIII. 

THE SMIARITAN WOMAN. 



" Then COMETH he to a city of SAMARIA, WHICH IS CALLED 
SYCHAR, NEAR TO THE PARCEL OF GROUND THAT JACOB GATE 
TO HIS SON JOSEPH. N0T7 JACOBUS WELL WAS THERE. JESUS 
THEREFORE BEING WEARY WITH HIS JOURNEY, SAT THUS ON 
THE well: and IT WAS ABOUT THE SIXTH HOUR. THERE 
COMETH A WOMAN OF SAMARIA TO DRAW WATER. JESUS 
SAITH UNTO HER, GIVE ME TO DRINK. — St. Jolin iv. 5-7. 

Our Lord having labored with great success for 
several months in Judea, resolved to return to Gali- 
lee, his former abode. Various reasons have been 
assigned for this journey, the most probable of 
which is, that the growing fame of the Saviour had 
excited the jealousy of the Pharisees to such a de- 
gree, that he deemed it expedient to retire for a 
season from the field, and go where the influence of 
the chief priests and rulers was not so great. There 
were several routes by which travellers could reach 
Galilee, the most direct of which passed directly 
through Samaria, a country lying between Judea 
and Galilee. This route, however, though much the 
shortest, was seldom travelled by the Jews, as thek 
hatred of the Samaritans induced them to shun their 



92 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

foes as much as possible. The most rigid and 
bigoted of the Jews, considered themselves polluted 
if they had any intercourse with the Samaritans. 
They regarded them with even more contempt and 
abhorrence than they did the* heathen. The Saviour, 
Avho did not share in the least degree in their preju- 
dices, but had a heart full of sympathy and love for 
all classes of men, resolved to pass directly through 
this despised country. 

On his way, being greatly fatigued by the jour- 
ney, and suffering from thirst, he sat down about 
mid-day by the side of Jacob's well, to rest and 
refresh himself This well, from the historical asso- 
ciations connected with it, is an object of great inter- 
est with all pilgrims and travellers. Maundrell, in 
describing it, says : " At one third of an hour from 
Naplosa, we came to Jacob's well, famous not only 
on account of its author, but much more for that 
memorable conference which our blessed Saviour 
here had with the woman of Samaria. Over the 
w^ell there stood formerly a large church, erected by 
ithat great and devout patroness of the Holy Land, 
the Empress Helena; but of this the voracity of 
iime, assisted by the hands of the Turks, has left 
nothing but a few foundations remaining. The well 
is covered at present with an old stone vault, into 
which you are let down ; and then removing a 
broad, flat stone, you discover the mouth of the well 
itself It is dug in a firm rock, and is about three 
yards in diameter, and thirty-five in depth, five of 
which we found full of water." 
. When Dr. Robinson, during his researches in the 



THE SAMAMTAN WOMAN. 93 

Holy Land, visited the well, he found it bearing the 
marks of great antiquity, but dry and deserted. A large 
stone laid over its mouth, and as it v^as late and the 
twilight almost gone, his party made no attempt to 
remove it. 

Another distinguished traveller says : " This spot 
is so distinctly marked by the Evangelists, and so 
little liable to uncertainty, from the circumstance of 
the well itself, and the features of the country, that if 
no tradition existed for its identity, the site of it 
could hardly be mistaken. Perhaps no Christian 
scholar ever attentively read the fourth chapter of St. 
John without being struck with the numerous inter- 
nal evidences of truth which crowd upon the mind 
in its perusal. "Within so small a compass, it is im- 
possible to find in other writings so many sources of 
reflection and of interest. Independently of its 
importance as a theological document, it concentrates 
so much information, that a volume might be filled 
with the illustration it reflects on the history of the 
Jews, and on the geography of their country." 

By the side of this well, Jesus, a weary traveller, 
sat down. His disciples he had sent away to pur- 
chase food, as they could not be entertained at the 
houses of the Samaritans. For it appears that these 
people were not slow to return the hatred which was 
exercised towards them by their self-righteous and 
haughty neighbors. While Jesus was thus sitting 
alone, meditating perhaps upon the scenes and events 
suggested by the memorable locality which he occu- 
pied, " There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw 
water. Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink." 



94 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

As we advance in the narrative given of this inter- 
esting interview, we shall find the following points 
unfolded. The fountains of salvation are opened ; 
the evidences of Christ's messiahship are furnished ; 
the nature of true spiritual worship is explained, and 
the way is prepared for the preaching of the everlast- 
ing gospel to the people of Samaria. 

The request made by Christ excites in the woman 
the greatest astonishment. " How is it," she replies, 
" that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which 
am a woman of Samaria ? for the Jews have no 
dealings with the Samaritans." Jesus, almost for- 
getting his thirst in his anxiety to impart spiritual 
benefits to the woman, availed himself of the occa- 
sion to instruct and enlighten her mind. Instead of 
wasting time in discussing the prejudices that existed 
between the Jews and the Samaritans, he at once 
said to her : " If thou knewest the gift of God, and 
who it is that saith to thee. Give me to drink, thou 
wouldest have asked of him, and he would have 
given thee living water." By the phrase "living 
water," although Christ used it in a spiritual sense, 
is understood fresh spring water that is constantly 
flowing, and this was the idea that the woman 
received. Of course she was delighted at the thought 
of obtaining pure, fi-esh water, without the fatigue of 
passing daily over a dusty road to obtain it. But 
Christ, perceiving that he had arrested her attention, 
although the spiritual import of the words was not 
understood, proceeded still further to develop the 
great truth which was embodied in this beautiful 
image. In answer to the inquiry. Whether he was 



THE SAMARITAN WOMAN, 95 

greater than their father Jacob, who gave to them 
the well, he replied, and the language is full of intense 
meaning to all, " Whosoever drinketh of this water 
shall thirst again : but whosoever drinketh of the 
water that I shall give him, shall never thirst, but it 
shall be in him a well of water, springing up into 
everlasting life." To the truth of the first part of this 
proposition, the poor Samaritan woman could bear 
abundant testimony ; for she had often travelled far 
in the heat of the day to draw water from this deep 
well, to quench her thkst. She also had experience 
of the unsatisfying nature of all earthly good. She 
had lived a life of sin. Her mind was in darkness. 
She had some conceptions of a coming Messiah, but 
they Avere vague, and seemed to have had but little 
practical influence upon her. " If thou knewest the 
gift of God," said Christ to her, — if she had but been 
aware that the infinite Jehovah had presented to the 
world no less a gift than his only and well-beloved 
Son; if she had known the divine nature and ex- 
alted character of Him who said to her. Give me to 
drink, she would at once have asked for the greatest 
of all blessings. She would have asked for the living 
waters of salvation, which would have satisfied the 
longings of the soul, — which become to all that 
receive them, a fountain of spiritual delights, spring- 
ing up, or flowing on, to everlasting life. And these 
rich gifts Christ was ready to bestow even upon a 
poor and unworthy Samaritan woman. He had left 
his throne of glory and the high honors of a celestial 
court, that he might place infinite treasures before 
the poor and the sinful children of men. Perhaps he 



96 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

planned this journey, and tarried at the well in order 
that he might have this interview with the Samaritan 
woman, and offer to her eternal life. And if the 
greatest of all preachers, one who spake as never 
man spake, was ready to exhibit divine truth to a 
single listener, shall any of his followers deem any 
opportunity for doing good as too trivial to be im- 
proved? Christ might have remained in the cities 
of Judea, and daily addressed admiring thousands. 
He might have attracted multitudes by the eloquence 
of his words, the force of his doctrines, and the won- 
derful displays of his miraculous power. But we find 
him far away from the seats of authority and the 
applause of the multitude, and, as a weary traveller, 
engaged in instructing a despised Samaritan woman. 
He opens before her the great doctrines of a free salva- 
tion ; of an abundance of living waters, of which all 
who are willing may partake, and of everlasting life ; 
doctrines which patriarchs and prophets would have 
rejoiced to have heard, and which were worthy the 
attention of the most gifted and enlightened audience 
that could be assembled upon the earth. 

Jesus also unfolds in an indirect, yet most skilful 
manner, the evidences of his Messiahship. He in- 
stitutes inquiries, and makes statements with regard 
to the woman's past life, which led her to exclaim, 
" Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet." Light be- 
gins to break in upon her mind. The truth flashes 
upon her that she is conversing with no ordinary 
person, but with one who could read all the secrets 
of her past life. The doctrine of Christ's omnis- 
cience is in fact presented to her mind, to convince 



THE SAMARITAN WOMAN. 97 

her of the reality of the living waters to which her 
attention had been directed. She has the proof that 
her instructor is not only willing, but able to bestow 
the highest and most precious spiritual gifts. He 
does not enter into a formal and abstruse demonstra- 
tion of his divinity, but seizes at once upon those 
evidences that are calculated to make the deepest 
and most lasting impression upon the woman's^ 
mind. She is startled with a recital of her whole 
history, by one who is a perfect stranger to her ; by 
one whom she took to be a prejudiced Jew, who' 
would have no dealings with the Samaritans, and 
who would not receive even the slightest favor fromi 
their hands. She hears from his lips the minutest 
events in her life described, and a degree of knowl- 
edge is displayed that could belong to no human, 
intellect. 

In thus accompanying promises with the proof of 
an ability to fulfil them, Christ acted in accordance 
with his usual custom, when developing his missiom 
and his system of truth. While requiring the exercise 
of faith, he furnished the foundation upon which it: 
should rest. Though the supernatural element ran 
through his history, from the period of his birth to* 
the day of his ascension, yet he ever regarded the 
claims of human reason. He was ever ready to 
recommend his doctrines by an appeal to evidence ;: 
to the prophetic utterances respecting him contained 
in the ancient Scriptures, to his life, his miracles, 
and to the various proofs he gave that he was the 
Son of God. He wished for none other, than a firm 
and solid basis upon which to rest his cause.. 
9i 



98 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

The woman being satisfied that he who addressed 
her was a prophet, availed herself of the opportu- 
nity, to obtain if possible a solution of the vexed 
question which had so long divided the Jews and 
Samaritans. As they stood where the lofty summit 
of Mount Gerizim was in full sight, the woman, 
while perhaps pointing to it, said, " Our fathers w^or- 
shipped in this mountain ; and ye say that in Jerusa- 
lem is the place where men ought to worship." This 
controversy arose at the time of the return of the 
Jews from their captivity. The Samaritans desired 
to unite with them in rebuilding the temple, and 
wished to be associated with them in religious faith 
and services. But the Jewish rulers repulsed them, 
and declared that Cyrus had committed the work 
solely to their hands. Feeling indignant at the op- 
position of the Jews, they resolved to erect a temple 
upon Mount Gerizim, a mountain with which there 
were sacred associations, in connection with the en- 
trance of the Israelites into the promised land, and 
the blessings pronounced upon those who obeyed the 
law of the Lord. This measure very naturally in- 
creased the hostility that existed between the two 
nations, and gave rise to a bitter controversy as to 
the place where divine worship should be rendered. 
The Samaritans contended that they held the only 
pure, legitimate, and divinely appointed services, and 
that their temple received the sanction of the divine 
presence. The Jews, on the other hand, claimed that 
Jerusalem was the capital of God's kingdom on this 
earth, and that the rites performed in their temple 
w^ere alone acceptable to Jehovah. The antagonism 



THE SAiMARITAN WOMAN. 99 

created by this discussion engendered the most bitter 
hatred between the two parties. They would not 
entertain each other at then houses, nor have any 
communication, except occasionally for the purposes 
of trade. It was very natural, therefore, that the 
Samaritan woman should seek light upon a point 
which so divided the two nations, and which was 
deemed so vital to their spiritual interests and hopes. 
And the reply which Christ made to her was appli- 
cable not only to the sacred mountain that was in 
sight, and to Jerusalem, but to all localities with 
which men might suppose that special divine favors 
were connected. He swept away the whole system 
of formal rites and local worship. It had been neces- 
sary, indeed, in times past, to connect a knowledge 
of the Deity with prescribed ceremonies and sacred 
localities ; but that necessity existed no longer. 
" Woman," said Jesus, " believe me ; the hour com- 
eth, and now is, when ye shall neither in this moun- 
tain, nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father," that 
is, according to the present forms and usages. " But 
the true worshippers shall worship the Father in 
spirit and in truth : for the Father seeketh such to 
worship him." 

The time had come for the introduction of a new 
and spiritual system, a system not confined to formal 
rites, but seeking access to the human heart ; not 
limited to the summit of a mountain, or to the walls 
of Jerusalem, but spreading over the nations, and 
offering its blessings to the whole human family. To 
unfold this dispensation to the world, was an impor- 
tant part of the Messiah's work. Indeed it com- 



100 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

menced with his life on the earth. At his birth, the 
purest moral light dawned upon the world. In his 
teachings, example, and mighty works, he revealed 
the Father, the principles of his government, and the 
nature of true religion. He makes proclamation not 
only to the Samaritan worrian, but to all mankind, 
" God is a spirit, and they who worship him must 
worship him in spirit and in truth." 

Both the Jews and Samaritans worshipped the 
true God, but their ideas of his nature and character 
were crude and limited. Their conceptions were 
based upon the visible and extraordinary manifesta- 
tions that he made of himself in ages past, and they 
thought of him as a being afar off, who could only 
be approached through certain forms, and in certain 
places. But Christ announces that he is an all-pervad- 
ing Spirit, a divine essence that fills the universe and 
demands a spiritual worship. He would have every 
mountain and hill and valley consecrated to his ser- 
vice. From every city he would see rising the in- 
cense of pure devotion. Every human heart he 
would transform into a sacred temple. In every 
spirit he would establish a " Holy of holies." All 
the people, even the Gentile world, he would make 
" kings and priests unto God." 

And under this dispensation, instead of beholding 
the Deity in a burning bush, we behold him in every 
star that glitters in the heavens, in the light and glory 
of every morning's sun. Instead of recognizing his 
goodness in the falling manna, we perceive it in the 
regular succession of seed-time and harvest, and in 
the rich variety and abundance of fruits which the 



THE SAMARITAN" AVOMAN. 101 

earth annually yields. Instead of travelling towards 
a promised land abounding in temporal blessings, we 
are urged to press forward towards a celestial para- 
dise, towards a heavenly city that hath foundation, 
whose builder and maker is God. Instead of em- 
bodying our reverence in types and forms, w^e are 
required to worship " in sphit and in truth." 

In this requisition there is a fulness and depth of 
meaning that is worthy of our profound attention. 
The very nature of spiritual worship, involves a 
union between our souls and the Infinite Being, a 
union of feeling, sentiment, purpose^ and will. Such 
worship cannot be rendered except by a soul wholly 
consecrated to God, and thoroughly pervaded by a 
spirit of holiness. If the supreme affections are 
fastened upon the world, or any inferior good, or if 
there is a disposition to substitute the form for the 
reality, the worship is vitiated. In fact it does not 
exist ; for there cannot be a spiritual worship that is 
not genuine. It is au element that cannot be coun- 
terfeited. The Saviour, ia designating those who 
shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, calls 
them true worshippers ; and he adds, " the Father 
seeketh such to worship him." He does not seek the 
formalist, nor him whose religion is confined to a 
mountain or a temple, but the sincere, earnest wor- 
shipper. Nor is this requisition fully met by the 
spirit of devotion, however pure and lofty it may be. 
There must accompany it a life of rectitude and cor- 
dial obedience ; a life based upon the principles of 
divine truth. Worship without service ; devotion 
without corresponding religious principles, go for 

9* 



102 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

nothing in the estimation of the omniscient Being. 
This is very forcibly presented in the language of 
Jehovah as uttered by his prophet : " Bring no more 
vain oblations ; incense is an abomination unto me ; 
your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul 
hateth. Put away the evil of your doings from be- 
fore mine eyes ; cease to do evil ; learn to do well, 
seek judgment, relieve the oppressed." God is most 
ihonored by a just, humane, holy life. He is wor- 
shipped in every benevolent deed, and in every earn- 
•est endeavor to promote human welfare and the 
divine glory. And such worshippers he seeks in all 
ages and in all nations. He seeks them to maintain 
and recommend the true faith, and to perpetuate a 
spiritual worship that will be acceptable to him. 

The instructions thus imparted to the Samaritan 
^woman made a deep impression upon her mind ; and 
^when she learned that it was the promised Messiah 
who addressed her, she was filled with amazement 
and delight. Forgetting the object that brought her 
to the well, she left her water-pot and hastened to 
the city, to inform her friends of what had transpired. 
'The Saviour also finding a field of great usefulness 
^opening before him, seemed to forget his fatigue and 
hunger. His disciples having returned with food, 
entreated him to partake of it and refresh himself. 
But he replied : " I have meat to eat that ye know 
not of. My meat is to do the will of him that sent 
me, and to finish his work." He found a purer pleas- 
ure, a richer entertainment in doing the will of his 
Father, than in partaking of the luxuries that this 
<earth furnished. Although he was hungry and thirsty 



THE SAMARITAN WOMAN. 103 

and exhausted, yet his highest enjoyment consisted 
in imparting spiritual benefits to the needy and the 
perishing. Beholding, on the one hand, the throngs 
coming towards him from the city, and, on the other, 
the husbandmen casting the seed into the ground, he 
avails himself of the imagery presented to his mind, 
to illustrate the great work upon which he had 
already entered among the Samaritans. Alluding to 
a phrase familiar with the people at that season of 
the year, that "there are yet four months, and then 
cometh harvest,'' he added, pointing to the approach- 
ing multitudes : " Lift up your eyes, and look on the 
field ; for they are white already to harvest." In the 
natural world, four months must elapse before the 
ripened grain will wave in the breeze; but in the 
spiritual world, though the seed was so recently 
sown, yet the fields are already white to the harvest. 
And the great reaper is ready to gather it in. He is 
ready to receive to himself all who will exercise 
repentance and faith. And many believed on him 
as "the Christ, the Saviour of the world." Many 
are to-day rejoicing in the glories of his everlasting 
kingdom, as the fruits of that short sermon which 
was preached to a poor Samaritan woman at Jacob's 
w^ell. 



IX. 

CHRIST PREACHING UPON THE MOUNT. 



^' And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain ; 

AND when he was SET, HIS DISCIPLES CAME UNTO HI3I. 
AND HE OPENED HIS MOUTH AND TAUGHT THEM. — MatthcW 
V. 1, 2. 

We now come to view Christ as a public preacher 
of divine truth. He held, as we are aware, many 
offices. He came to fulfil a complex mission ; a mis- 
sion, varied in its bearings, as well as glorious in its 
results. He was not only a Redeemer, but a Prophet, 
a Priest, and a King. He uttered and fulfilled proph- 
ecy. He was a teacher sent from God, to teach all 
other teachers, to unfold the treasures of infinite wis- 
dom, — to bring life and immortality to light. As 
a King, he ever maintained a royal bearing. Though 
he was poor and despised, and had not where to lay 
his head, he was still a Prince, If he had thrown 
aside the robes, he had not thrown aside the nature 
of his kingship. Neither the ridicule heaped upon 
him, nor the opposition that he encountered, nor even 
his crucifixion, extinguished his sovereignty. 

But it is with Christ, in his office as a preacher, that 



CHRIST PREACHING TOON THE MOUNT. 105 

we are now concerned. During his ministry, he often 
taught in the Jewish synagogue, in the temple, and 
by the wayside. He also seized upon important 
occasions for developing and illustrating the funda- 
mental doctrines of divine truth. Such an occasion 
was that which called forth the memorable Sermon 
on the Mount. The hostility which the Pharisees 
entertained towards Christ, began to excite a general 
opposition against him throughout the land. He 
was charged with heresy and blasphemy by the 
inhabitants of Galilee, and the prejudices which had 
been aroused against him, were daily gaining ground 
among a large portion of the community. It became, 
therefore, necessary for him publicly to explain and 
vindicate his doctrines ; and this he did in a most 
simple, yet masterly manner. Returning from one of 
his preaching tours in Galilee, a great multitude, 
attracted by the eloquence of his words and the nov- 
elty of his mighty deeds, followed him. Towards 
evening they drew near to Capernaum, and rested 
at the foot of a mountain. The next morning, as the 
sun was gilding the surrounding hill-tops, and pour- 
ing its splendor through the valleys, and while the 
air was fragrant with the opening flowers, and vocal 
with the songs of birds, the Saviour, refreshed by 
sleep, selected a favorable position for addressing the 
multitude. He did not wait until he had entered the 
city of Capernaum, and notified its inhabitants of 
his intended discourse, but, with his characteristic 
simplicity, availed himself of the opportunity afforded 
by the presence of a promiscuous crowd, who seemed 
willing to listen to his words. He preferred also to 



106 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

be out in the open air, surrounded by the beauties 
and sublimities of nature, that bore the impress of 
his own creative wisdom and power. The mountain 
served him as a pulpit. The broad canopy above 
was the dome of his great temple. The surrounding 
mountain peaks were the columns wi'ought by the 
Supreme Architect. The morning mist, tinged by 
the rays of the sun, threw a celestial halo over the 
scene. Below were the eager multitude, waiting for 
the words of wisdom that were to drop from heav- 
enly lips. Above were angel forms, visible not to 
human sight, but known by him whom they were 
appointed to watch over, and whom they were all 
commanded to worship. 

The silence of the hour was broken by the utter- 
ance of the most remarkable, impressive, and im- 
portant discourse that was ever listened to on earth. 
It is not my purpose to treat in detail of its several 
principles and doctrines, but I Vv^ish simply to point 
out some of the general characteristics of Christ as 
a preacher of divine truth. 

In the first place, in this as well as all his other dis- 
courses, he deals with the most vital and fundamental 
of moral truths. Upon the minor matters of forms, ex- 
ternal rites, and what may be termed the mint, anise, 
and cumin of religion, he bestows no attention. He 
grapples with the life-questions that pertain to the 
divine government and human responsibility and des- 
tiny. He announced the object of his advent in these 
emphatic words : " To this end was I born, and for 
this cause came I into the world, that I might bear 
witness to the truth." He came ladened with the treas- 



CHRIST PREACHING UPON THE MOUNT. 107 

ures of infinite wisdom which he scattered in every 
pathway that he trod, in every city that he visited, in 
every CHcle in which he moved. He came to clear 
away the mists of error, to break up the fatal delu- 
sions into which mankind had fallen, and to reveal 
a system of ethics and theology that would satisfy 
the soul and guide it to happiness and glory. 

In the Sermon on the Mount, his particular design 
was to exhibit the nature of his kingdom, and its 
connection w4th the ancient dispensation. He wished 
to disabuse the minds of his hearers of the idea that 
he stood in any way in antagonism to the Mosaic 
system, for which they entertained so much rever- 
ence ; and he endeavored to convince them that that 
system was preparatory to his ; was the type and 
forerunner of the glorious reality which he revealed. 
His sermon served, therefore, as a bridge from the 
law to the gospel, over which the Jews might travel 
from a region of forms, to one of spiritual truth and 
life. His object was to break in upon their modes 
of thinking upon religious subjects, and lead them to 
take sphitual views, and seek a higher standard of 
moral excellence. The very first passage in the dis- 
course, is a blow levelled against the pride of the peo- 
ple and their Pharisaic self-righteousness. The pooi 
in spirit are pronounced blessed, or happy, for theirs 
is the kingdom of heaven. This glorious inheritance 
belongs, not to those who boast of their Jewish 
descent, and of their peculiar national privileges, 
but who, feeling the poverty of all earthly rites and 
rewards, seek for the riches of a spiritual kingdom. 

Many of his hearers were ambitious, and expected 



108 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

that Christ would establish a splendid worldly em- 
pire which would overshadow and subdue all others ; 
that his divine power would be employed in found- 
ing a magnificent throne, and founding military 
forces that would be the terror of all surrounding 
nations. To meet and dispel this false idea, Christ 
next declares, " Blessed are the meek, for they shall 
inherit the earth." As though he had said, " those 
who are the least ambitious for power shall obtain it. 
Conquests will indeed be made, not however by force 
of arms, nor even by overwhelming displays of 
miraculous power, but by the might of meekness and 
gentleness of spirit. The nations will be swayed, 
not by a sceptre of iron, but by a sceptre of love." 
And this process we see now going on, as the king- 
doms of the earth are becoming the kingdoms of our 
Lord. The forces that subdue them are moral forces. 
We send out to a numerous and great nation, a 
few humble Christian missionaries, whose only weap- 
ons are faith and love. With these, and these alone, 
they are instructed to take possession of the king- 
dom in the name of their great Master. 

The Jews also prided themselves upon their rigid- 
ness in external purity, and in avoiding every thing 
that was deemed unclean. But Christ, without ex- 
citing their prejudices by directly attacking their 
superstitious notions upon this point, said, " Blessed 
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." My 
system requires purity, as well as the Mosaic ; but 
mine must be internal, — must regulate the thoughts 
and motives, must fit the soul for communion with 
God. And this he endeavored to show, constituted 



CHRIST PREACHING UPON THE MOUNT. 109 

the divine life, after which every earnest spirit should 
aspire. The Jews were looking for the mere shadows 
of religion ; this was the reality, — the vital principle 
that would unite the soul to God, and qualify it foir 
the society of all holy beings. 

Thus the Great Teacher goes through with his 
memorable discourse, every utterance containing an 
important principle, every sentiment antagonistic to 
the opinions of the world, and every influence tend* 
ing to elevate and spiritualize the nature of man.. 
In treating of the ancient law, he contends that it is 
fulfilled in the law of the Christian life. And he re- 
duces the whole to this simple declaration, to love 
God above all things, and our neighbor as ourselves. 
" On these two commandments," he says, " hang all 
the law and the prophets : " that is, all the teachings 
of the Old Testament are condensed into these two 
commands. 

Another characteristic of our Lord^s teaching wasy 
that he spoke with authority/. This authority was not 
only connected with his being appointed as the rep- 
resentative of the Divine Majesty, but it was vested 
in his own person. He taught as a divine being,, 
uttering truths known to his own mind from all eter- 
nity ; truths as unchangeable as the throne of God. 
Philosophers who preceded him gave to the world 
only opinions, the weight of which depended upon 
the soundness of the arguments, or the logical train 
of the reasoning upon which they were based. But 
truth proceeded from Christ,, as light proceeds from 
its natural source, the sun- ffis authority he dis- 
tinctly and repeatedly affirmed : " I am the light of 
10 



110 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

the world ; " "I am the way, the truth, and the 
life." 

But we may be asked. How can we confide in the 
integrity of these affirmations ? What evidences 
have we that the Saviour's declarations can be im- 
plicitly relied upon ? I would reply, all the evidences 
that the nature of the case admits of. The very doc- 
trines which Christ promulgated, carry with them 
internal evidence of their truth. They are as clearly 
adapted to the wants of our moral nature, as light is 
adapted to the eye, or air is suited to the lungs. 
They are such truths as we should expect to receive 
from a God of perfect benevolence and holiness. 
The Sermon on the Mount bears the stamp of a 
divine origin. "Were its principles universally adopt- 
ed and acted upon, it would make a heaven of this 
earth. For every sentiment is luminous with heav- 
enly beauty and celestial light. They constitute the 
basis of the benevolence, happiness, and glory of the 
angelic hosts. They aim at the annihilation of every 
base passion of the soul, — envy, malice, revenge, — 
of every unholy thought and carnal desire. Under 
their sway, wars, oppression, injustice, and every 
form of sin would be banished from the earth. An 
ingenuous mind, therefore, can no more separate the 
idea of divine truth from the teachings of Christ, 
than we can separate the idea of beauty from a 
flower, or the idea of grandeur from mountain 
scenery. 

Contrast this system with any other, — with the 
best and most profound that human agency has 
devised, and its superior excellence is at once ap- 



CHRIST PREACHING UPON THE MOUNT. Ill 

parent. Contrast it with the most rigid and appar- 
ently the most sacred of formal systems, and you 
cannot fail to be impressed with its divine force, 
beauty, and life-giving power. In entering the gor- 
geous edifice of formalism, " one's feelings," to use 
the image of another, " are very much such as might 
belong to a descent into some stalactite cavern, the 
grim magnificence of which is never cheered by the 
life-giving beams of heaven ; for there is no noon 
there — no summer. The wonders of the place must 
be seen by the glare of artificial light ; human hands 
carry hither and thither a blaze, which confounds 
objects, as much as it reveals them, and which fills 
the place more with fumes than with any genial 
influence. In this dim theatre, forms stand out of 
more than mortal mien, as if a senate of divinities 
had here assembled ; but approach them, all is hard, 
cold, silent. Drops are thickly distilling from the 
vault ; nay, every stony icicle that glistens in the light, 
seems as if endued with penitence, or as if contrition 
were the very temper of the place ; but do these 
drops fertilize the ground on which they fall ? No ; 
they do but trickle a moment, and then add stone to 
stone, and chill to chill. Does the involuntary ex- 
clamation break from the bosom in such a place — 
Surely this is the gate of heaven ! Rather one shud- 
ders with the apprehension that he is entering the 
shadows of the valley of death ; and that the only 
safety is in a quick return to the upper world." 

Now go from thence to the great temple of moral 
truth which Christ has erected. As you enter, you 
feel that the very atmosphere is impregnated with 



112 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

the warmth of heavenly love. The light that pours 
through the gorgeous windows appears to come 
dnectly from the eternal throne. The spirit of 
deity pervades the edifice. Every column and arch 
seem to lift the soul upward. The swell of the 
organ, the notes of praise, touch the tenderest and 
holiest sensibilities of the soul. He who ministers at 
the altar, we are confident is oar great High-Priest, 
who is not only a teacher, but the living oracle of 
moral truth. Over the altar we read the sentiment 
of true devotion: "God is a Spirit, ahd they who 
worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth." 

The authority of our Great Teacher is also strength- 
ened by the evidences that he furnished of his divine 
nature. In fulfilling so accurately the prophecies 
respecting the life, character, and deeds of the Mes- 
siah, he substantiated his claims to divinity. By the 
variety and undoubted character oi his miracles, he 
proved, beyond all dispute, his power over the ele- 
ments and laws of nature. Diseases fled before his 
presence. The blind opened their eyes to gaze upon 
him. The dead heard his voice and came forth. The 
storms and the waves of the sea obeyed him. 

His character also gave authority to his words. 
His whole career was a living epistle, known and 
read of all men. Every moral precept which he 
taught was illustrated in his life. His holiness was 
apparent to every beholder. No taint of sin ever- 
touched his heart. No impure or selfish motive ever 
gained access to his spirit. Like the light from 
heaven, he touched the earth without being contami- 
nated by its influences, moved among men without 



CHRIST PREACHING UPON THE MOUNT. 113 

feeling the power of their corruptions. " When he 
was reviled, he reviled not again ; when he suffered, 
he threatened not." His benevolence, too, was ap- 
parent in every word and deed. As he stood upon 
the mount, a cloud of goodness seemed to encircle 
him. In the very commencement of his discourse he 
poured forth a profusion of the richest blessings, 
showing that it was his highest delight, as well as 
his prerogative, to bless. As he advanced in his 
career, this feature of his character became more and 
more conspicuous. It shone forth with peculiar 
brightness in his seasons of trial. As dangers thick- 
ened around him ; as the storms of persecution in- 
creased in violence, his love, like a deep swelling 
tide, rose above them all. Even his cruel arrest, his 
mock trial, and the terrors of the crucifixion, did not 
move him. 

Is not, then, the authority of this Great Teacher 
established? Shall we not rest with unwavering 
confidence upon the truths which he uttered ? 

The style of Christ's teaching is also worthy of our 
notice. He usually uttered his thoughts in simple^ 
concise, and bold sentences ; such as were adapted to 
the capacities of his hearers, and might be easily 
treasured up in the memory. Sometimes his words 
flow on like a quiet, clear, and beautiful stream, re- 
freshing the weary spirits of his auditors, and pro- 
moting the growth of every Christian virtue and 
grace. Sometimes he expressed himself in startling 
and paradoxical utterances, in order to arrest atten- 
tion, and fasten the truth upon the mind. When his 
object is to expose the wickedness and hypocrisy of 

10* 



114 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

the Scribes and Pharisees, his words fall with a 
-crushing weight, and carry with them a fearful 
power. With an unsparing hand he tears off their 
mask of hypocrisy, and drags to the light their ini- 
'quities. Breaking through the shell of their rigid 
formalities, he enables his hearers to see their true 
character in all its blackness and deformity. "When 
depicting the scenes of the judgment-day, there is a 
stately grandeur and overpowering solemnity in the 
language which he employs. We almost hear the 
trumpet-blast of his voice pealing through the tombs 
and caverns of the deep, and wherever the myriads 
-of the earth's inhabitants sleep. We see in imagina- 
tion the vast throngs filling the air, and gathering 
,axound the supreme tribunal. The Judge takes his 
seat. The books are opened. An awful silence 
reigns over the immense multitude. As the destiny 
'of the different classes is gradually revealed, our 
sympathies are strongly excited. We rejoice with 
the righteous in their rewards, and shudder at the 
terrible doom that overhangs the wicked. The words, 
'' depart ye cursed," carry with them an awful import. 
We cannot look down into the depths of their 
-meaning, without emotions of indescribable terror. 
The words descriptive of the blessedness of the 
•righteous, carry with them the richest consolations 
and most glorious hopes. The welcome that falls 
upon the ear is, " Come, ye blessed of my Father, in- 
herit the kingdom prepared for you from the founda- 
tion of the world." The single word, " Come," decides 
the destiny of the redeemed soul. Its meaning 
extends over the ages of immortality. It includes 



CHRIST PREACHING UPON THE MOUNT. 115 

access to the Father, an entrance into the palace of 
the great King, companionship with holy angels, and 
a participation in all the glories of the Saviour's reign. 

The promise, too, of a " kingdom prepared for the 
saints, from the foundation of the world," has depths 
of glorious meaning that no finite intellect can ex- 
plore, that no human eye can gaze upon. A king- 
dom that has been so long in a course of preparation, 
and upon which the divine power and skill have been 
for ages expended, must necessarily surpass all 
human comprehension. 

It was also a peculiarity of Christ's teachings, to 
embody impoxtant truths in familiar, striking, and 
beautiful images, drawn from nature and scenes with 
which the people were familiar. His disciples were 
denominated the light of the world ; the salt of the 
earth ; a city set upon a hill which could not be hid. 
God's care over them was enforced by a representa- 
tion of the care which he exercised over the lilies 
of the valley, and the grass of the field. At the 
close of his Sermon on the Mount, he compares him 
who heareth his sayings and doeth them, to the wise 
man who built his house upon a rock. The other class 
he likens to a foolish man who built his house upon 
the sand, a house which could not endure the force 
of the storm, — imagery which in all its details, 
strikes the mind as at once beautiful and forcible. 
And these images served not only to illustrate, but 
also to preserve moral truths, so that they could be 
handed down from age to age unimpaired. For 
while language is constantly changing, and the 
meaning of words varies with the progress of society, 
the objects and scenes in nature remain the same. 



116 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

The force of these images drawn from natm^e, we 
can feel and appreciate as fully as those who first 
listened to them. 

In conclusion, ought we not to consider our per- 
sonal relations to this great Teacher? We may 
listen with interest to his discourses, admiring the 
sublimity of his truths, the beauty of his language, 
and the force of his imagery. But the question 
is, do his teachings reach the heart and regulate 
the life ? Do we adopt them as the foundation of 
our faith, as the basis of our hopes ? If we would 
enter into the hidden meaning of these principles, 
and experience their blessed influence, we must obey 
them. " If any man will do the will of God, he 
shall know of the doctrine." Holy obedience will 
make every thing clear to his vision, will clear away 
the mists from his pathway, and make his course like 
" the shining light that shineth brighter and brighter 
unto the perfect day." 

^' How sweetly flowed the Gospers sound 
From lips of gentleness and grace, 
When list'ning thousands gather'd round, 
And joy and reverence fill'd the place. 

^Trom heaven he came — of heaven he spoke, 
To heaven he led his followers^ way ; 
Dark clouds of gloomy night he broke, 
Unveiling an immortal day. 

" * Come, wanderers, to my Father's home, 
Come, all ye weary ones, and rest ! ' 
Yes ! sacred Teacher, — we will come — 
Obey thee, — love thee, and be blest ! 

" Decay, then, tenements of dust ! 
Pillars of earthly pride, decay ! 
A nobler mansion waits the just. 
And Jesus has prepared the way.*' 



X. 



CHRIST WALIvING ON THE SEA. 



"In the fourth watch of the night, jesus went unto 

THEM, WALKING ON THE SEA." MattheW xiv. 25. 

This scene, according to three of the Evangelists, 
occurred immediately after the miraculous feeding 
of the five thousand in the desert. That miracle 
had awakened such an enthusiasm among the peo- 
ple, that they desired at once to make Christ a king. 
Christ knowing their designs, and wishing in the 
most effectual yet quiet way to defeat them, " con- 
strained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go 
to the other side unto Bethsaida, while he sent away 
the people." Perhaps he supposed that the multi- 
tude would be more easily dispersed, if they saw his 
disciples departing from him. He wished not only 
to frustrate their plans of taking him by force and 
making him a king, but also to lead them to reflect 
upon the spiritual nature of his kingdom, and the 
true ends for which he manifested his miraculous 
power. They looked upon him as one eminently 
fitted to be placed at the head of the nation, and to 
restore to it, its ancient grandeur and glory. They 



118 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

recognized in the rapid multiplication of the loaves 
and fishes, a power capable of sustaining armies in a 
desertj or during a protracted siege ; and they were 
ready to rally under such a leader, and to march 
forth to the conquest of their enemies. But Christ 
having dismissed his disciples, sent away the people, 
convinced that he was not seeking for temporal 
authority, but had some higher purpose in view. 
According to his custom, as evening was approach- 
ing, he retired alone to a solitary mountain for 
prayer. Instead of seeking repose after the labors 
of the day, he preferred to worship in these wild and 
rugged temples of nature, and to prepare himself, by 
spiritual communion with the Father, for the prose- 
cution of his great work. "While he was in the 
mountain on this memorable night, the heavens be- 
came overshadowed with dark and heavy clouds. 
The winds were heard howling through the forests 
and valleys, and a wild storm raged upon the land 
and the sea. At midnight, when the tempest was at 
its height, the Messiah thought of his disciples, and 
was doubtless offering up fervent supplications in 
their behalf. According to his directions they had 
embarked on board their vessel, and the wind being 
contrary to the course which they were to sail, they 
were exposed to its full force. The darkness of the 
night, the extreme severity of the wind, the wild bil- 
lows that surrounded them and threatened every 
moment to engulf them, filled their minds with ter- 
ror. Besides, the consciousness that their Lord was 
absent, added to the fearful gloom of the night. If 
he was only present, as on a former occasion, to still 



CHRIST WALKING ON THE SEA. 119 

this tempest, and calm the tempestuous waves, then- 
fears would all be dissipated. But he is away upon 
a distant mountain, perhaps they think, not knowing 
their peril ; for their views of his attributes and pow- 
ers were yet very imperfect. 

The perilous situation of these disciples^ the man- 
ner in which they ivere relieved^ and the trial of 
Petefs faith ^ are points that have not simply a local 
and temporary interest. Like most of the scenes 
and events in the history of our Lord, they are of 
universal interest, and are applicable to his foUovv' ers 
in all nations and ages of the world. As the same 
sun that shone upon the pathways of the earliest 
generations, is equally adapted to our organs of 
vision, and its light hailed with as much joy as 
though it was newly created for our benefit, so the 
same Sun of righteousness that illumined the minds 
of the apostles and primitive Christians, shines with 
its resplendent beams upon us ; and is as perfectly 
adapted to our moral necessities as though the 
Saviour should again appear upon the earth. We 
need not a newly created physical universe, in order 
to be impressed with the infinite and glorious attri- 
butes of the Deity. The same world with its beau- 
tiful decorations, its mighty forces, its miraculous 
changes, with the rolling seasons, its oceans, lakes, 
mountains, and valleys ; the same stars with their 
soft and persuasive eloquence, — their wonderfully 
suggestive yet mysterious influence ; the vast soli- 
tudes in which they repose, serve us as well as they 
did our most remote ancestry. Indeed their anti- 
quity adds greatly to their power. They come to us 



120 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

with an influence which has been accumulating for 
ages. We are glad to look upon the same sun upon 
which all eyes have gazed, — to be watched over by 
the same stars that have looked down upon all the 
changes in the world's history, — to tread upon the 
same globe, on which are left the footprints of patri- 
archs, prophets, apostles, and the noble army of mar- 
tyrs. We are glad to breathe the same atmosphere 
in which holy men of old moved, and which has 
been vocal with the songs of poets, the eloquence of 
ancient orators, and the praises of the devout in all 
languages and all ages. 

The eighteen hundred years that have rolled over 
Christianity and over the scenes in the life of its 
divine author, add, in our view, to their moral force. 
Each century having made its contributions to the 
evidences in favor of this divine religion, we inherit 
the whole stock of proof, just as the young astrono- 
mer, in entering upon his noble science, becomes heir 
to all the discoveries and progress that have been 
made by the most gifted minds in this department 
of human knowledge. In following, too, Christ, we 
follow in the track of a great multitude of the best, 
noblest, holiest men that have ever lived upon the 
earth. We feel the power of their example, the elec- 
tric influence of their zeal and love. And we are 
content with the spiritual presence of our Master, 
without his immediate personal advent to our earth. 
We are content with the fulfilment of his promise : 
" Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of 
the world." 

But we hasten to apply these general principles to 
the case before us. 



WALKING ON THE SEA. 121 

The disciples were out upon the sea, exposed 
to the dangers of a fearful storm. Only the day be- 
fore they were with the Lord of glory, witnessing 
one of the most remarkable miracles which had been 
wrought. Then admiration was excited by so won- 
derful a display of divine power. They rejoiced that 
so many thousands of persons were permitted to wit- 
ness it, and to receive the moral impressions which 
it was calculated to produce. They felt that the 
cause which they had espoused was rising; and that, 
in following such a Master they had nothing to fear. 
Their confidence was established that before them 
there was a career of honor and glory unsurpassed in 
the history of mankind. But the very night after 
this scene, they were tossed upon the waves of a tem- 
pestuous sea, and struggling in vain with their oars 
to reach the land. So great was their danger, that 
they knew not but that each succeeding wave that 
swept by, would engulf them. To such suddera 
changes in one's circumstances and prospects, we 
are all liable. To-day, all may be bright, hopeful, 
and prosperous. We may stand upon the firm earth,, 
and look out upon a serene sky, upon smiling verdure^ 
and the beauties that the sunshine has awakened 
around us. "We may be surrounded by kind friends, 
by the refinements and pleasures of social inter- 
course, and by the choicest spiritual blessings. To- 
morrow, we may be cut off from these privileges and 
enjoyments. We may be out upon the dark ocean of 
affliction, encompassed by the waves of sorrow, feel- 
ing that our frail bark may at any instant be shat- 
tered. The Saviour, in whom we have trusted, may 

11 



122 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

seem to be far away in some distant mountain that 
we cannot reach. But recently we had communion 
with him, felt the strengthening influence of his pres- 
ence, and were filled with admiration in contem- 
plating the views granted to us of his divine power 
and majesty. Now clouds and darkness encircle 
him. We hear not his voice, see not the brightness of 
his countenance, feel not the warm breath of his love. 

Go through even Christendom, and what mul- 
titudes will you find struggling with some of the 
various forms of sorrow. How many feel that they 
are strangers and pilgrims upon the earth, their path- 
ways lying through gloomy deserts, over burning 
sands, and amid hardships that at times seem too 
severe for human endurance. They have literally no 
abiding city here. They seem to have been cast 
upon this bleak and desolate creation to be buffeted 
by its storms, and to have their souls tried by its 
keenest sorrows. Some honest and devout hearts 
feel the pressure of the ills of poverty; no slight 
pressure, though it is so common. Death is common, 
but none the less a terrible messenger for this. 

Others are strangers to health, scarcely knowing 
what it is to be free from bodily pains and infirmities. 
"Weeks, months, and years roll on, bringing with 
them no relief. 

With others, the fountains of sorrow are kept 
almost perpetually open, by the loss of near and dear 
friends. One after another they are snatched away. 
Billow follows billow in rapid succession, sweeping 
away the objects to which the warmest earthly affec- 
tions are fastened. So great are oftentimes the trials 



WALKING ON THE SEA. 123 

of life, that one is forced to ask. Is this the end of 
our being, to be tossed upon the waves of sorrow, 
and to be the victims of the storms that rage around 
us ? Is there no power that can lift from the soul its 
heavy burdens, and afford consolation to the tried 
and bereaved spirit. The answer to these inquiries 
may be found in the relief that came to the disciples 
while in the height of the perils of their voyage. 
They supposed that their Saviour was far away, and 
at the fourth watch of the night, which was about 
three o'clock in the morning, while they were toiling 
at their oars, they had not the slightest reason to 
expect any aid from him. But suddenly, as they 
looked out upon the wild waste of waters, they 
descried a form moving upon the surface of the sea. 
Supposing that it wa« a spirit or an apparition, they 
were exceedingly terrified, and cried out for fear. 
Their minds being in an anxious and excited state, 
and their bodies being exhausted by fatigue and 
exposure, such a scene was calculated to fill them 
with terror. But soon a voice comes to them over 
the waves : " Be of good cheer, it is L" That voice 
they immediately recognized, and their fears were 
dissipated. With a joy that can be more easily 
imagined than described, they welcomed Christ to the 
ship, knowing that his presence would be an ample 
protection from all danger. At the very moment 
that they supposed he was far distant from them, he 
was at the side of their vessel. Perhaps he had been 
near them the whole night, and had been watching 
over them, and guarding them from the perils of the 
deep. Perhaps he refrained from making himself 



124 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

known until this late hour of the night, in order to 
more deeply impress them with a sense of his divine 
power and goodness. 

Now we have the fullest evidence to believe that 
Christ is near to every disciple, and that he is spe- 
cially near to those who are in circumstances of 
anxiety, distress, or danger. When the waters of 
affliction threaten to overwhelm his friends, he is 
w^alking upon the sea, ready to calm the angry 
surges, and to deliver those who love him, out of all 
thek afflictions. And his simple presence is suffi- 
cient to insure this. The disciples, when they recog- 
nized him upon the waves, did not call out to him to 
save them ; did not, if we may judge from the nar- 
rative given, beseech him to quell the fury of the 
storm ; but they knew that if he was near, they were 
safe. Had this been his first miracle, they might 
have had less confidence in him. But only the day 
before they had gazed upon the wonderful spectacle 
of the feeding of five thousand men, besides women 
and children (who probably swelled the multitude to 
double this number), with food, that at first consisted 
of but five barley loaves and two small fishes. Hav- 
ing seen that immense crowd, while seated upon the 
extended plain and surrounding hills, fed by Christ, 
who, at the outset, invoked the divine blessing upon 
the few small loaves and fishes that were placed 
before him, they could no longer doubt, that "all 
power was given unto him." And all that he deemed 
it necessary to say to them was : " Be of good cheer, 
it is I." " You have only to know who it is, to be 
certain of peace and safety. My presence is mightier 



WALKING ON THE SEA. 125 

than the storm. Although it is night, the morning 
of your hopes has dawned upon you. Although the 
billows rage, yet I hold them in check, and tread 
them beneath my feet. Although your frail bark is 
tossed to and fro, I have only to enter it, and it will 
float in calm waters, and be speedily borne to yom* 
destined haven." 

And in the precious promises that Jesus makes 
to all his followers, he deems it sufficient just to 
assure them of his presence : " Lo, I am with you 
always ; " "I will not leave you comfortless, I will 
come to you;" "Where two or three are gathered 
together in my name, there am I in the midst of 
them." And another most tender and affectionate 
invitation : " Behold, I stand at the door, and knock. 
If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will 
come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me." 
These and other similar utterances all express the 
idea of simple presence. And in the last passage 
quoted, this thought is brought to view with pecu- 
liar delicacy and beauty. The Saviour will make 
the effort himself to come to us, as he did to the dis- 
ciples on the sea. He will stand at the door and 
knock. He will not intrude himself upon the inmates. 
He will not force an entrance. He will not even open 
the door. That must be done by those within. K 
they hear his voice, and recognize its tones of com- 
passion and love, and open the door to him, he will 
come in and sup with them. He will not violate any 
of the rules of courtesy or hospitality. But if there 
is any prospect of his being admitted, he will stand 
at the door until his locks are wet with the dews of 

11* 



126 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

ithe morning. Yes, he will stand there through the 
Avhole night, thus cheerfully sacrificing his own ease 
and comfort. 

It is interesting to observe how many of Christ's 
benevolent deeds were performed in the night time. 
JBy night he had the remarkable interview with Nico- 
demus, and unfolded to him the necessity of Redemp- 
tion, and the whole scheme of the Atonement. Be- 
fore selecting his twelve apostles, St. Luke tells us 
that " he went into a mountain to pray, and con- 
tinued all night in prayer to God." And frequently 
Avas this the season for his most earnest supplica- 
tions. 

" Cold mountains and the midnight air 
Witnessed the fervor of his prayer." 

At night he permitted himself to be arrested, and 
to be carried through the preparatory stages for his 
icrucifixion. In the fourth watch of the night he 
walked upon the sea. In the night he conquered 
death and hell, and rose from the dead. But he has 
now passed into those glorious regions where there 
is no more night — where no shadows fall upon his 
pathway — no cold mountains rear their barren and 
gloomy summits — no dark waters roll, no storms 
arise — no death chills are experienced. 

Yet he is still here, present with every devout and 
believing spirit. You may not see him with the 
natural eye, for darkness may surround you. You 
may not hear his voice above the howl of the storm, 
but his being invisible is surely no proof of his 
absence. The mightiest forces in nature, of which 



WALKING ON THE SEA. 127 

we have any knowledge, are invisible. What is more 
hidden from the view than the law of gravitation, 
and yet who does not know that it is the great 
power that holds worlds in their orbits and systems 
in their places ; and is, I may say, the spirit that per- 
vades the material universe, giving regularity and 
beauty to these floating orbs around us. The prin- 
ciple of vegetation is invisible ; but who will say 
that it is, on this account, any the less present and 
potent. Does it not annually clothe the earth with 
the richest verdure, with beauties that infinitely sur- 
pass the skill of the most gifted artist ; with flowers, 
the minute inspection and analysis of which excites 
the most glowing admiration ; with fruits and pro- 
ductions, upon which all conscious life is dependent 
for its continuance ? 

You may stand upon a lofty eminence, and view 
the effects of a wild tempest. You may see the 
heavy clouds flying rapidly over your head. You 
may see the forests bending and crushed beneath the 
blast, — the mighty oaks torn up by the roots, — 
houses demolished, and their fragments filling the 
air, and yet you see not the force that is working this 
ruin. The agent is as invisible as the air in a calm 
summer's day. 

In looking over Christendom, you behold numer- 
ous Christian churches, great assemblies gathered for 
worship, large companies of children listening to the 
instructions of faithful teachers, and many engaged 
in carrying from house to house the bread of life and 
the consolations of religion. You behold a large 
number of the afflicted supported under their trials, 



128 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

and submissive to the divine will. You may enter 
many sick chambers, and see a cheerful serenity rest- 
ing upon the wasted countenances of the dying, and 
hear from lips soon to be forever closed, the dec- 
laration, " Though I walk through the valley of the 
shadow of death, I will fear no evil." 

Now what has wrought all this ? We answer. The 
presence of Jesus. As on the morning of the crea- 
tion the spirit moved upon the face of the waters, 
and brought order and beauty out of chaos, so the 
spirit of Jesus has moved upon the moral world, 
purifying and elevating the nature of man, restoring 
to the soul the lost image of its Maker, carrying com- 
fort to the afflicted, hope to the despauing, and sal- 
vation to the penitent and believing. And Christ 
would say to all his disciples, in every age : " Be of 
good cheer." Though himself a man of sorrows and 
acquainted with grief, yet the great object of his life 
was to promote human happiness. - In his intercourse 
with his friends, this end is ever conspicuous. While 
pronouncing his farewell discourse to his disciples, 
he said : " Let not your heart be troubled. Ye 
believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's 
house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would 
have told you." If there was any doubt concerning 
this fact, if there was any occasion for their being 
troubled, he would have told them. He came not to 
deceive mankind, not to encourage in them hopes 
that would never be realized. He came to bring life 
and immortality to light, to reveal the will and love of 
the Father, to throw open the gates of the everlasting 
city, and to invite all who would repent and believe, 



WALKING ON THE SEA. 129 

to enter in. A higher mission cannot be conceived. 
A more glorious service could not be rendered to the 
human family. 

There is, however, another incident in this scene 
which illustrates the part that we are to perform to 
secure the aid of the Saviour. When the disciples 
in the ship, or boat, were assured that it was their 
Lord who was approaching them, Peter, with his 
usual promptness, mingled perhaps with rashness, or 
at least with an undue degree of self-confidence, 
said : " Lord, if it be thou, bid me come to thee on 
the water." Perhaps Peter desired to make a display 
of his courage before the other disciples, or he might 
have wished to be the first to welcome Jesus. The 
simple reply that Christ made was, " Come." He 
was willing to give him an opportunity to test his 
confidence and faith. At once Peter left the ship, 
and at first he walked safely upon the water towards 
his Master. " But when he saw the wind boisterous, 
he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried, say- 
ing, Lord, save me." " And immediately Jesus 
stretched forth his hand and caught him, and said 
unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou 
doubt." While Peter kept his eye fixed upon Christ, 
he walked firmly and safely. But when he looked 
down upon the dark and tumultuous waves, he 
began to sink. His courage failed him, and had not 
Christ extended his arm to rescue him, he must have 
perished. What an important lesson are we taught 
by this event ! Our safety, our faith, our hopes, all 
depend upon fixing our eyes and our affections upon 
Christ. If we dwell upon the trials and sorrows of 



130 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

life, or trust to our own strength, we shall fail. With 
a firm step, with unfaltering confidence, we must 
look upward to the Saviour. The apostle exhorts 
us " to lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth 
so easily beset us, and to run with patience the race 
set before us, looking' unto Jesus P 



XI. 

THE TRANSFIGURATION. 



" Jesus taketh peter, james, and john his brother, and 
brixgeth them up into an high mountain apart, and 
ti^as transfigured hefore them : and his face did shine 
as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light, 
and behold, there appeared unto them moses and elias 
TALKING WITH HIM." — Matthcw xvii. 1-3. 

It may seem to be presumption to attempt to 
analyze and portray the various features of this won- 
derful scene. Its glories are too dazzling for mortal 
gaze. Its mysteries are too deep to be penetrated 
by the human mind. Although the Evangelists have 
described the scene with vividness, yet probably no 
one has attained to a just conception of it, except 
the three favored apostles who witnessed its splen- 
dors. We may call to our aid the criticisms of the 
wise and learned, who have endeavored to unfold its 
import ; we may exercise to the greatest possible ex- 
tent the powers of the imagination, and yet fall far 
short of the reality. Like all other supernatural 
manifestations, it lies beyond the province of human 



132 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

thought. Yet there are points and lessons in the 
scene that are full of instruction. 

We observe that Christ saw fit to make this 
remarkable display of his glories to a few select 
and tried friends, rather than to a large and pro- 
miscuous assembly. On no occasion did he man- 
ifest a disposition to gratify the curiosity of the mul- 
titude, who were ever ready to flock around him. 
He chose rather to make the most signal mani- 
festations of his power and glory in the presence 
of those who were prepared to receive from them 
the greatest spiritual benefit. Even in his public 
teachings, he did not always explain the import of 
his parables to the assembly; but reserved this for 
the few who tarried after the crowd had dispersed, 
and desired to be more fully enlightened in regard to 
the truths of religion. Had it been publicly an- 
nounced that Christ would appear in his divine 
glory, and receive a visit from Moses and Elijah, 
thousands would have flocked to the scene, prompted 
simply by an idle curiosity, while others would have 
gone to cavil, or to ridicule. After performing some 
of his most striking miracles, it became necessary 
for the Saviour to make his escape from those whose 
malice and hatred were only increased, by every new 
manifestation of his goodness and power. These 
enemies, true to the instincts of the depraved heart, 
had their zeal against Christ quickened in proportion 
to his efforts to benefit them. Hence he did not care 
to cast pearls before swine. He preferred to be sur- 
rounded by a few honest inquirers after truth, and 
make his brightest revelations in their presence. 



THE TRANSFIGURATION. 133^ 

On the occasion of his transfiguration, in order to» 
be as private and undisturbed as possible, he took 
his companions to the summit of a high and distant 
mountain. Whieb mountain was selected, it is diffi- 
cult for us to determine. Some writers assert that it 
was Mount Tabor ; but there are good reasons for- 
supposing that this opinion is not wellgrounded. It 
is not material, however, to be able to designate the 
precise spot upon which the transfiguration took 
place. We know that the Saviour in his seasons of 
religious meditation and prayer, or when about to^ 
make some signal manifestation of his miraculous 
power or divine glory, sought a retreat upon one of 
the mountains of Judea. Besides the retirement 
which they afforded, he was doubtless attracted by 
the beauty and grandeur of the scenery that sur- 
rounded them ; by the remembrance of the wonder- 
ful events in the history of God's dealings with his 
chosen people, which they commemorate ; and by 
the fact that upon their summits he seemed to stand 
nearer to the eternal throne. He recognized in every 
mountain a temple consecrated to the service of Je- 
hovah ; and while in his solitary retreat, engaged in 
meditation or prayer, he might hear the mountains 
breaking forth into singing, and the trees of the field 
clapping their hands. When he preached his great 
and memorable sermon, " he went up into a moun- 
tain," and as the multitude listened to his sacred 
truths, uttered with divine eloquence and power, they 
might well have exclaimed, " How beautiful upon 
the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good 
tidings, that publisheth peace." 
12 



134 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

From the details given of the transfiguration by 
the Evangelists, we infer that the scene took place 
at night. We have ah'eady remarked that Christ 
often chose this season for holy meditation and com- 
munion with the Father. "When all was hushed 
in the streets of Jerusalem, and his enemies were 
sleeping, and the stars were out, heavenly sentinels 
watching over the innocent and faithful, the echo 
of his footsteps might be heard as he passed along 
towards the gates of the city, and sought, alone, his 
mountain retreats. Under the pale moonlight, his 
dim form might be seen as he moved over the hills 
and plains. 

Imagine, then, the Saviour with his three disciples, 
struggling up a distant and rugged mountain, under 
the shelter of the darkness. Gradually they rise higher 
and higher, leaving the world and its vanities behind 
them. The lights of the distant city and villages grow 
dim, and at last fade away. No sound is heard save 
the murmuring of the mountain brooks, and the 
sighing of the winds through the vast forests. They 
reach the summit, and Christ is about to fulfil the 
promise made a few days previous, that there were 
some before him who should '' not taste of death, till 
they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom," or 
glory. We may presume that he gave to his disci- 
ples instructions suited to prepare their minds for the 
wonderful scenes that were to pass before them. 
From that lofty mountain fervent prayers ascended 
to the God of heaven, that he would be present with 
the displays of his power. 

Suddenly the disciples were startled by a flood of 



THE TRANSFIGURATION. 135 

light that burst upon the mountain, and filled them 
with amazement and terror. They turned towards 
their master, and perceived that his countenance, 
form, and whole appearance were undergoing the 
most wonderful changes. The despised Nazarene 
was emphatically becoming the Lord of glory. He 
who was without comeliness or beauty, — who was 
despised and rejected of men, — whose poverty was 
such that he had not where to lay his head, now ap- 
pears clothed in splendors too dazzling for mortal 
vision. His countenance shines with a brilliancy 
that surpasses the sun. His robes are of snowy 
w^hitness, and pure and resplendent as the light. A 
celestial glory envelops his whole person, — a glory 
such as he had with the Father before the world was. 

And what was equally remarkable, behold there 
appeared to them at the same time, two mysterious 
and resplendent beings, Moses and Elijah. They 
conversed in an audible voice with Jesus concerning 
" his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusa- 
lem." For the trials and anguish of that awful hour 
they labored to prepare and comfort him. The con- 
flict, though severe, they assured him would be 
attended with the most glorious results. 

While the disciples were absorbed by this scene, a 
bright cloud floated down and spread upon the moun- 
tain, overshadowing the whole group. And amid 
flashes of lightning and the roar of thunder, a voice 
was heard, saying, " This is my beloved Son, in 
whom I am well pleased ; hear ye him." So terrible 
was the sound, that the disciples fell prostrate upon 
the earth. Jesus, knowing their confusion and ter- 



136 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

ror, came and touched them, saying, " Rise up and 
be not afraid." On recovering from their fear, and 
looking about them, they observed that the heavenly 
visitants had departed, and that Jesus was alone 
with them. 

In this peculiar and supernatural display of divine 
power there were, obviously, several important de- 
signs. 

In the first place, in the voice that proceeded from 
the cloud, ive have an unanswerable attestation to the 
divinity of the Messiah. As though the purity of his 
life, and the displays of his miraculous power were 
not enough, we have this direct proof from heaven, 
that he was the Son of God in whom the Father 
was well pleased. This testimony was peculiarly 
appropriate to that period, because erelong the 
events that would happen to the Saviour, would 
seriously try the faith of his disciples. They would 
behold him apparently in the power of his foes. 
They would see him hurried away by violence ; in- 
sulted, scourged, and treated as a malefactor. They 
would hear the sentence of condemnation pro- 
nounced against him, and from the cross they would 
hear his agonizing cry, " My God, my God, why hast 
thou forsaken me.'' And without the most conclu- 
sive evidences of his Messiahship and divinity, they 
w^ould altogether lose their faith, and abandon his 
cause. As the sequel showed, these adverse events 
shook their confidence in their master ; but remem- 
bering his miracles, teachings, and the supernatural 
displays of his glory, their faith rallied, and after his 
ascension their heroism and devotion were such as 



THE TRANSFIGURATION. 137 

could not be surpassed. If they were weak and 
vascillating in the early part of then- career, their 
subsequent boldness and energy entitle them to the 
highest praise. 

This announcement from the cloud, though made 
to the three favored ones, was virtually made through 
them, to all mankind. They stood upon that mount 
as the representatives of the whole human family. 
As Moses represented the children of Israel upon 
Mount Sinai, and Abraham represented aU the faith- 
ful upon Mount Moriah, and Elijah stood in the 
place of the believers in the true God upon ^Nlount 
Carmel, so Peter and his associates represented all 
for whom Christ came to make an atonement. 
Whatever was evidence to them of the truth of 
Christ's doctrines, or the divinity of his person, was 
evidence to us. There was not a single circumstance 
in the scenes of the transfiguration, of interest to 
them, that was not of equal interest to every inhabi- 
tant upon the globe. And the Apostle Peter in his 
second general epistle, when exhorting the friends of 
Christ to the faithful discharge of their duties, says, 
" For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, 
when we made known unto you the power and com- 
ing of our Lord Jesus Christy but were eye-witnesses 
of his majesty. For he received from God the 
Father honor and glory, when there came such a 
voice to him from the excellent glory. This is my 
beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. And this 
voice we heard when we were with him in the holy 
mount." Now, if we can confide in Peter as a true 
witness, we must admit his testimony. We must 

12* 



138 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

believe these words as fully and sincerely as he be- 
lieved them. And in the mouth of three such wit- 
nesses as were admitted to the glories of the trans- 
figuration, the great doctrine of the Saviour's divinity 
should be firmly established. 

Another design of this dazzling and sublime man- 
ifestation was, to confirm the faith of believers in a 
future state of existence. 

If Moses and Elijah actually appeared, (and to 
doubt this portion of the narrative, is to doubt the 
truth of the whole,) then we can ask for no more 
satisfactory proof, than is herein contained of the 
doctrine of a future state. Here are two distin- 
guished personages, one of whom lived upon the 
earth fifteen hundred years before, and the other nine 
hundred years, who appeared in their celestial bodies 
to Christ and his three disciples. Their resplendent 
forms illumined the whole mountain. They conversed 
with Jesus in a language that was understood by his 
disciples. Their appearance and conversation afforded 
so much delight that Peter exclaimed, " Lord, it is 
-good for us to be here ; let us make three taberna- 
cles, one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias." 
He desired to retain the illustrious beings upon the 
icarth, that he might continue to enjoy their society, 
and listen to their words of wisdom and love. His 
companions were so filled with awe and astonishment, 
that they did not give utterance to their feelings. 
But seeing before them beings directly from the 
spirit world, and especially those with whose names, 
history, and achievements they were so familiar, they 
were thoroughly convinced of the reality and blessed- 



THE TRANSFIGURATION. 139 

ness of the heavenly state. Had they entertained 
doubts respecting the doctrine of a future state, they 
must have been by this scene forever banished from 
their minds. Henceforth all was clear and bright to 
the eye of faith. They could say confidently with 
the Psalmist, "In thy presence there is fulness of 
joy ; at thy right hand there are pleasures forever- 
more." They had every stimulus to press forward 
with new zeal toward the mark for the prize of their 
high calling. And the church universal should hail 
with gratitude and rapture, this fresh proof in favor 
of a future life. For notwithstanding all the light 
that has been thrown upon this subject, and all the 
arguments that have been adduced in its favor, it is 
agitated still in thousands of minds. Different cur- 
rents of thought rush through the heart, some bear- 
ing us towards the regions of light and hope, and 
others sweeping the soul towards the verge of de- 
spair. When we stand upon the mount of faith, we 
may see in the far distance the Elysian fields, — the 
shining palaces and temples, — the myriads of bright 
and holy beings crowding in and out of the gates of 
the everlasting city, thronging around the eternal 
throne, and flying through the heavens upon mis- 
sions of mercy and love. In such an hour the spirit 
longs to depart, that it may be with Jesus. But 
when we are in the valley of despondency, moving 
among the tombs of the dead, and think of the cold- 
ness and deep silence of the grave, — of the millions 
whose forms have mingled with their kindred dust, — 
of the thick vail that hides the future from our sight, 
we are tempted to look upon death as an eternal 
sleep. 



140 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

" The grave, dread thing ! 
Men shiver when thou'rt named. Nature appalFd 
Shakes off her wonted firmness. Oh I how dark 
Thy long extended reahns, and rueful wastes, 
Where nought but silence reigns, and night, dark night.*' 

To enable us, then, to enter the dark valley with a 
firm step, and to say, " I will fear no evil," we need 
the support of every argument that reason, or anal- 
ogy, or the Scriptures can furnish. We need to stand 
by the side of Christ at the grave of Lazarus, and 
see the dead come forth. We need to study and 
meditate upon the words : " I am the resurrection 
and the life ; he that believeth in me shall never die." 
We need to visit the Saviour's tomb, and hear from 
angel lips the declaration : " He is risen ; behold the 
place where they laid him." We need to stand upon 
the summit of the holy mount with the apostles, and 
behold Moses and Elijah, in their resplendent forms, 
conversing with Jesus. Then we may fully believe 
that this corruption will put on incorruption, and this 
mortal be clothed with immortality. 

Another feature in this scene is the representation 
that it furnishes of the different epochs in the history 
of the churchy and of the cooperation of the glorified 
saints in the work of man^s redemption. Moses ap- 
pears to represent the law, Elijah to represent proph- 
ecy, and Christ stands as the representative of a new, 
more spiritual and glorious dispensation. We have 
brought before us, in a single group, the divine gov- 
ernment, in its majesty and authority, the rich prom- 
ises made to the world of heavenly blessings, and 
the fulfilment of prophecy. Besides, in the persons 



THE TRANSFIGURATION. 141 

of the apostles we have represented the agencies by 
which the gospel is to be published to the world. 
One is to be constituted the rock of the church, 
against which the gates of hell shall not prevail. The 
others are to bear their testimony to the truth of the 
gospel ; a testimony that will one day be acknowl- 
edged by all tribes, nations, and kingdoms of the 
earth. Thus the past and the future, — heaven and 
earth, — the church triumphant and the church mili- 
tant, all meet through their representatives upon the 
top of that glorious mount. One is signally distin- 
guished from the others, not only by his splendid ap- 
pearance, but by the supernatural announcement 
from the cloud : " This is my beloved Son, in whom 
I am well pleased." Though mingling with proph- 
ets and glorified saints, he is not to be confounded 
with them, nor his nature and glorious character to 
be overlooked. 

How delightful to contemplate them as all co- 
operating in the great work of man's redemption! 
" The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth 
came by Jesus Christ." The law and prophecy were 
both necessary to prepare the way for the reception 
of the gospel; — the one to aid in bringing mankind 
into subjection to its requisitions, and the other, to 
confirm its authority, and support its divine origin, by 
arguments that could not be overthrown. 

We may reasonably believe that God had some 
special design in the selection that was made of those 
who should confer with Christ at the time of his 
transfiguration, and appear to the apostles. For 
there were no two names that had more influence 



142 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

over the Jews than Moses and Elijah, or as he is 
called in the New Testament, Elias. To the former 
Christ constantly referred in his teachings. He quot- 
ed his laws, and made the people understand that 
if they would not hear Moses and the prophets, 
neither would they be persuaded though one rose 
from the dead. On one occasion he said, " For had 
ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me : for 
he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, 
how shall ye believe my words ? " Reference was 
also frequently made by the Jews to Elias, and the 
question was put to the Saviour, "Art thou Elias?" 
When Christ was upon the cross, his persecutors 
thought that he called for Elias. There was, there- 
fore, a peculiar significancy in the appearance of 
these illustrious saints upon the mount of transfig- 
uration. They confirmed, beyond all dispute, the 
claims and teachings of the Saviour. The whole 
scene proved the unity of the religion of the different 
portions of the Holy Scriptures; proved that there 
was one great purpose of mercy running through all 
the revelations that had been received from the 
eternal throne in the different ages of the world, — a 
purpose that commenced with the promise made to 
Adam, — that was unfolded in the Mosaic dispensa- 
tion, — seen and acknowledged by the prophets, and 
fulfilled in the redemption wrought out by the Son 
of God. And in viewing these great truths that 
open from this scene, the mount of transfiguration 
appears clothed with new splendor. In the light that 
surrounds it, there is a spiritual import. It is the 
radiance of divine truth. It is glory emanating from 



THE TRANSFIGURATION. 143 

the infinite and eternal mind, — from the gi'eat I Am, 
who is, and was, and ever will be, the unchangeable 
and almighty Jehovah. We do not wonder that 
Peter exclaimed, " It is good for us to be here." And 
may we not ask, if the delight afforded by the pres- 
ence of two heavenly visitants was so intense, what 
must be the rapture and glory of mingling with the 
mjiriads of holy and celestial beings who crowd 
God's vast dominions. " Eye hath not seen, nor ear 
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the 
things which God hath prepared for them that love 
him." 



XII, 

CHRIST BLESSING LITTLE CHILDREN. 



"Jesus said, suffer little children, and forbid them 

NOT, TO come unto ME : FOR OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM OP 

HEAVEN.*' — St. Matthew xix. 14. 

" Heaven lies about us in our infancy." 

Wordsworth. 

" What shall preserve thee, beautiful child ? — 

Keep thee as thou art now '? — 
Bring thee a spirit undefiled, 

At God's pure throne to bow ? 
The world is but a broken reed. 

And life grows early dim : — 
Who shall be near thee in thy need 

To lead thee up to Him ? 
He who himself was * undefiled,' 
With him we trust thee, beautiful child.'' 

Willis. 

There is scarcely a scene in the history of Jesus, 
more touching and significant than that presented by 
his interview with little children. The fame of his 
great kindness and benevolence had gone forth, and 
excited a deep interest among the inhabitants of the 
country bordering upon the Jordan. Not only were 
the sick, blind, and lame brought to him, but moth- 



CHRIST BLESSING LITTLE CHILDREN. 145 

ers were seen in the crowd pressing forward towards 
the Saviour, with their infants and children, anxious 
that they might receive a blessing. Such was their 
confidence in the power and goodness of Christ, that 
they knew, if they could but get near enough to 
him, that virtue would go forth from him to their 
children, and the little ones would experience through 
their whole lives, the rich benefits of his divine 
blessing. The disciples observing the eagerness of 
these parents to approach Christ and attract his at- 
tention, rebuked them ; deeming it an intrusion upon 
so great a prophet to trouble him with their wants, 
or even presence of children. They felt that one 
who possessed such powers as Christ had displayed, 
and who had come to fulfil so important and sub- 
lime a work, could not condescend to notice mere 
children. But when Christ perceived what his disci- 
ples were doing, he was greatly displeased, and at 
once said, " Sufier the little children to come unto 
me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom 
of heaven." Although he had much to absorb his 
time and engage his energies, — although he had 
come to accomplish the great work of redeeming a 
lost world, — although he was entitled to divine 
honors, and possessed infinite attributes, yet he was 
not willing to overlook the interests of the smallest 
and feeblest child. He had himself been a child, and 
had experienced the wants, desires, and anxieties 
of children. Indeed, by passing through the differ- 
ent stages of existence on earth, he was prepared to 
sympathize with all ages, as well as all classes. By 
being an infant, he sanctified infancy, and sent forth 

13 



146 LIFE SCENES OE THE MESSIAH. 

an influence that touched and blessed all of this ten- 
der age. As a holy child, he set an example to all 
children, inviting them by his conduct, as well as his 
words, to follow in his footsteps. As a man, he gave 
importance and dignity to the whole race. Thus he 
fulfilled his mission to all, and showed his tender re- 
gard for those of every age. 

But there is a profound significancy in this invita- 
tion^ that we shall do well to consider. 

This act of Christ, simple as it appears, introduced 
a new era into the world's history. Previous to the 
advent of the Saviour but little attention had been 
bestowed upon the intellectual culture or moral wel- 
fare of children. As a class they had been either 
neglected or exposed to the most debasing influences. 
Paganism taught that it was a virtue for the mother 
to sacrifice her offspring to idols, cast her child into 
the Ganges, or leave it exposed to the fury of wild 
beasts. Even among civilized nations, the rights of 
cliildren were but little respected. It was a custom 
with the ancient Romans at the birth of a child, for 
the father to decide whether it should be reared, or 
be left in the street, and abandoned to its fate. In 
the decision that was made, the mother could take 
no part. Besides the power that the father had over 
the life of his children, he could three times sell his 
son, and three times reclaim him, and appropriate to 
himself all his child's gains. Under the emperors, 
however, the power of the father was somewhat 
reduced, and the condition of children was slightly 
improved. Among the Spartans, the celebrated Ly- 
curgus, who was recalled to the head of the govern- 



CHRIST BLESSING LITTLE CHILDREN. 147 

ment for the purpose of reforming the state, rcqmred 
that only the vigorous and well-formed children 
should be preserved, while others should be at once 
exposed in the wilds of Mount Taygetus. The slight 
value that was put upon the lives of children by 
wicked princes in the time of our Saviour, is shown 
in the decree issued by Herod, requiring the indis- 
criminate slaughter of " all the children that were in 
Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two 
years old and under." In the wars, too, of that 
period, children shared the fate of the conquered 
army. Neither their innocence, weakness, or claims 
upon sympathy and justice, afforded them any pro- 
tection against the relentless foe. 

But the Divine Teacher appears and establishes a 
new doctrine respecting children, a doctrine that 
bears the impress of his divine benevolence and infi- 
nite compassion. Beholding the mothers pressing 
towards him, he extends an invitation, twice repeated, 
in order to give to it the greater intensity : " Suffer 
little children to come unto me, and forbid them not." 
As though he had said : " Do not, on any account, 
prevent the little children from coming to me and 
receiving my blessing. For it is a part of my mission 
to do good to these little ones. I have come from 
heaven to be the child's teacher, the child's Saviour, 
— the child's guide to happiness and glory. I was 
once myself a child, and experience has prepared me 
to sympathize with this class in all their trials and 
interests. Nor can we fail to observe, that the recog- 
nition of the rights and the power of children is a dis- 
tinctive feature of the Christian dispensation. In 



148 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

exact proportion to the power of the gospel over any 
community, we find the interests of children pro- 
tected, and their moral culture promoted. Systems 
o£ education are framed and established. Family 
religion is instituted. The infant child is solemnly 
consecrated to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 
He is early taught to lisp the name of Jesus. His 
young heart is thrilled with the story of the babe in 
Bethlehem, the flight into Egypt, the cruelty of 
Herod, and the exciting incidents connected with the 
life, death, and resurrection of Christ. 

Sabbath schools are formed to perpetuate the Sav- 
iour's kind invitation to children. They constitute 
so many gateways leading towards the celestial city, 
where Christ now sitteth at the right hand of God. 
They serve to perpetuate the memory of Christ's love 
for children, as, the celebration of the last supper per- 
petuates the memory of his sufferings and death. 
These Sabbath schools may be regarded also as evi- 
dences of the divine origin of the Christian system ; 
for none but a heaven-born system could create such 
an institution. No other could prompt to such 
benevolent effort, self-denial, and zeal, as are often 
manifested by those who are engaged in teaching 
the young, and bringing back wandering children to 
their father's house. Nor is there a more interesting 
spectacle on earth than a large and prosperous Sab- 
bath school, with officers and teachers imbued with 
the spirit of Christ, and the pupils eager for the 
treasures of divine knowledge. As an exhibition of 
the voluntary system, — of the outgoings of benevo- 
lent effort, without the expectation of reward here, it 



CHRIST BLESSING LITTLE CHILDREN. 149 

is one of the most beautiful that could be presented. 
Literally, the gospel is furnished here without money 
and without price. Literally, the invitation is given, 
Whosoever will, let him come and partake of the 
waters of life freely. In such a school, impressions 
are every Sabbath made that will endure long after 
the pyramids have crumbled, and the stars have faded 
from the heavens. Through the destitute children 
gathered here, streams of influence go forth and reach 
multitudes of families. Many a child has been a 
missionary to the family of which he was a member. 
Many a one has carried the riches of salvation to 
his home, and been a preacher of righteousness to 
parents, brothers, and sisters. 

The Saviour, also, by taking little children in his 
arms and blessing them, recognized the importance 
of early religious culture as a force by which to 
advance his kingdom. He knew that if he gained 
the children, his cause was safe, and that he would 
gain the world. He knew that if his doctrines were 
desposited, as seed, in the mind of a child, they 
would grow with his growth and strengthen with his 
strength. And the opinion is rapidly gaining ground, 
as the light of Christianity increases and extends, 
that all the great interests of society, the progress of 
civilization, liberty, and humanity, and the spkitual 
hopes of the world, are involved in the early training 
of children. If we desire any important truth or 
cause to triumph, let it be planted in youthful minds, 
and become entwined around the sympathies of the 
heart, and flow in the channels of early thought, and 
it will gather a force that can be obtained in no other 

13* 



150 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

-way. It will become a part of the very existence of 
.the generation with which it is thus connected. It 
will give form and character to the institutions of 
.society, civil, social, and religious, as far as the influ- 
ence of its advocates extends. 

It is specially true of all religious systems, whether 
founded in error or truth, that their chief force lies in 
early culture. Such is the strength of the religious 
affections, — so much is man a religious being, with 
all his irreligion, that even a superstitious and grossly 
erroneous system will retain its power and wield a 
mighty influence, if it has the advantage of an 
^arly culture. Let one enter a Pagan country, and, 
after surveying the degradation and ignorance of 
the people, their cruel rites, their deceit, treachery, 
and misery, and the power of a corrupt priesthood, 
let him inquire for the secret force that produces this 
state of things, and he will find it in the groups of 
little children that are led by their mothers into the 
heathen temples, and taught to bow the knee before 
a hideous idol. If a child, say a little girl, is more 
than others actuated by religious sentiments, she will 
be found frequently bringing in her tiny hand offer- 
ings to lay upon the altar, — will often pray to the 
false deities whom she has been taught to reverence, 
and subject herself to bodily pains and severe priva- 
tions. As heathenism offers to her the only channels 
through which her religious affections can flow, she 
accepts them, and the system thus engrafted in her 
nature, and connected with her earliest experience 
and thoughts, abides with her, and controls her to the 
hour of death. The gospel missionary may go to a 



CHRIST BLESSING LITTLE CHILDREN. 151 

people thus trained, and he will effect comparatively 
but little with the adult population. If he would 
have hopes of success, — if he would move the giant 
fabric of superstition that surrounds him, he must 
commence with a new generation. He must estab- 
lish schools, — he must deposit the seeds of divine 
truth in the minds of children, — must suffer little 
children to come to Jesus and learn of him ; — then 
will the wilderness of heathenism and the solitary 
place be made glad, and the desert rejoice and blos- 
som as the rose. 

So with the Romish superstition, its force is de- 
rived from early culture. Though transplanted to 
this land, where the fruits of Protestantism, as an 
element of civilization, cannot fail to be seen, yet it 
retains its hold upon the masses of its victims. 
Though these papists have the opportunity of seeing 
what a free system of education, republican institu- 
tions, and a pure faith can do for even the social 
interests of a people ; though they have the oppor- 
tunity of contrasting this land with their own, in 
point of intelligence, wealth, comfort, and power, yet 
they will cling to the system that has left its blight 
upon their native soil, and been the chief cause of 
their past sufferings. And not only so, but they will 
violently oppose the Protestant system, the blessings 
of which they have come hither to share. They 
would, under the guidance of their teachers, tear 
down the very fabric that affords them shelter. They 
are taught by their priests to shun Protestantism as 
they would a pestilence, and yet they come and ask 
Protestantism to protect them against famine, pesti- 



152 ' LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

lence, and the various social evils that in their own 
land could not be endured. A strange spectacle, a 
marvellous v^onder this; and yet it illustrates the 
power of early instruction. It shows the influence 
of principles when planted in the mind while that 
mind is in its plastic state, though the principles are 
erroneous, and are as hostile to one's temporal as to 
his spiritual good. 

Now let this force of early culture be rightly 
dnected; let parents bring their children to Jesus, to 
receive his blessing and instructions, and a moral 
power would be created that would be felt through- 
out Christendom. A generation would be raised up 
that would defend the principles of the gospel against 
all opposition, break the power of the " man of sin," 
dissipate the darkness of heathenism, and roll in 
upon the nations the light of divine truth and the 
blessing of a pure and holy religion. 

The latter clause of the Saviour's declaration, is 
also worthy of our attention. He desired the chil- 
dren to be brought to him, because " of such is the 
kingdom of heaven." Their presence reminded him 
of his Father's house, — ^^of the pure and bright spir- 
its that surround the eternal throne. 

Some have argued, that Christ in this language, 
only designed to convey the idea that those who 
were like infants in innocence, purity, and confidence, 
would be admitted to the kingdom of heaven. 

The ancient Jews entertained the opinion, that 
only those infants that were circumcised were saved, 
while the children of the Gentiles perished. The 
Papal church, up to the time of the Reformation, en- 



CHRIST BLESSING LITTLE CHILDREN. 153 

tertained the belief that baptism was essential to the 
salvation of infants. Ecclesiastics being themselves 
excluded from domestic life, felt but little interest in 
the welfare of children, and very readily adopted 
and advocated this opinion. Being aware that it 
would add greatly to the influence of their church, 
and induce multitudes of parents to seek her com- 
munion, that their children might be baptized, they 
were ready to make it an article of faith. Nor has 
there been any change among Romanists, on this 
point, since the Reformation. Their bigotry, igno- 
rance, and hostility towards all who differ from them, 
lead them still to cling to it. The Puseyites also 
agree with the Papist in this particular. ''Without 
baptism," say the Oxford tracts, " none can enter the 
kingdom of heaven." That the rite of baptism is 
an important and divine rite, — as the seal of God's 
covenant with his church, — as a mark of his pecu- 
liar favor towards the children of believers, and as a 
form of parental dedication of infants to the service 
of the Most High, we fully believe. But to make it 
essential to salvation, or that, according to the book 
of common prayer, it has in it a regenerating effi- 
cacy, are opinions to which we cannot subscribe. 

The Calvinists have often been charged with in- 
volving this question in obscurity, and maintaining 
the doctrine that only the baptized infants of believ- 
ers were saved. But on examining the historical 
argument, we find that they were the first to advance 
liberal views upon the subject. Zuinglius first an- 
nounced the doctrine that all infants are saved. He 
argued that they were not guilty of actual transgres- 



154 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

sion, — that being ignorant of the divine law, and 
without the capacity of understanding it, they were 
not capable of violating it, and hence were not sub- 
ject to the penalty. Baptism, he maintained, rather 
recognized than conferred religious privileges, and 
had no power to make the distinction in the other 
world, for which many contended. Indeed, it is to 
the zeal of this and other Calvinistic writers, that the 
various evangelical denominations have been led to 
adopt the opinion that all who die in infancy are 
saved. While the Romanists, the Oxford divines, 
and those who agree with them, cling to their big- 
oted and cruel dogma, that the vast majority of 
infants are lost, the enlightened, liberal, evangelical 
portion of the church are united in the opinion that 
of such, literally, is the kingdom of Heaven. 

In the vision which the Apostle John had of the 
heavenly world, when he beheld around the throne a 
great multitude which no man could number, we 
have reason to believe, that the vast throng was 
increased by millions of infant spirits, and that he 
heard in the celestial choirs a chorus of infant 
voices. When we call to mind how large a number 
of those who die in middle life or at an advanced 
age are unfit for the kingdom of heaven, when 
we look over the world and survey the ravages of 
sin, and observe in how many forms iniquity abounds, 
and how many bright hopes are blasted, the sadness 
of the picture is alleviated by the thought, that a 
multitude, which no man can number, have, in the 
dawn of existence, escaped the sorrows and miseries 
of life, and safely reached their homes in the skies. 



CHRIST BLESSING LITTLE CHILDREN. 155 

And could we withdraw the veil, and be endowed 
with the vision which was granted to the Apostle 
John, we should see this happy company surrounded 
by angels, — walking in the avenues of the celestial 
paradise, — their powers developing and expanding 
in the genial and holy atmosphere of heaven. We 
should behold the blessed Saviour worshipped by a 
vast throng, whose infant voices swell the anthems 
of praise that ascribe to him glory, honor, immor- 
tality, and power. 



XIIL 

INTERVIEW WITH THE RICH YOUNG MAN. 



"And when he was gone forth into the way, there came 
one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, good 
master, what shall i do that i may inherit eternal 
LiEE?" — St. Mark x. 17. 

It is interesting to observe with what facility 
Christ adapts his teachings to all classes in society. 
While his instructions contain fundamental prin- 
ciples that are of universal application, he gives to 
them, according to the occasion or circumstances 
that call them forth, a personal bearing, which not 
only adds to their force, but gives to his system of 
truth a variety suited to every age and condition in 
life. The rich and the poor, the prince and the beg- 
gar, the learned and the ignorant, the aged and the 
young, may alike study the records of his life and 
instructions, and receive spiritual knowledge adapted 
to their case. Truly may Christ be denominated 
the Great Physician, who is not only familiar with 
every moral disease, but who has a remedy for every 
malady to which human nature is exposed. 



INTERVIEW WITH THE RICH YOUNG MAN. 157 

In the case of the young ruler, who came to Christ 
to know what he must do " to inherit eternal life," 
there are several points of peculiar interest and of* 
practical importance. 

In the first place he exhibited traits of character that 
excited the interest and love of the Saviour. He had 
evidently enjoyed the advantages of an early religious 
culture, and was familiar with the principles and 
requisitions of the Jewish faith. With those prin- 
ciples he had endeavored to make his life correspond.^ 
He was a man of integrity, honest in his dealings,, 
courteous in his deportment, and rigid in the perform- 
ance of many religious duties. He possessed many 
amiable qualities, was kind, affable, and lovely. 
Though his character evidently partook of the self- 
righteousness that prevailed so extensively among the 
Pharisees at that period, yet we have no reason to 
believe that there was any hypocrisy in his conduct. 
Had there been, Jesus, who knew the hearts of all 
men, w^ould not have looked upon him with so much, 
complacency and affection. His frank bearing, his 
respectful manner, the earnestness with which he 
addressed the Saviour, won his confidence and love. 

Nor did Christ underrate his morality and good 
works. Indeed, his first reply to the question of the 
young ruler was in these words, " If thou wilt enter 
into life, keep the commandments." Although the 
full meaning and spiritual import of these words 
were not fully understood, yet as far as the young; 
man had gone, his course met with approbation. 
Occupying a position of authority, and possessing 
immense wealth, the temptations that surrounded 
14 



158 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

him were peculiarly great. Affluence and power 
often try men's souls, more than poverty and obscu- 
rity. Yet in such CHCumstances, the young ruler 
had maintained an upright character and an amiable 
disposition. 

Nor have we any warrant from the Scriptures to 
undervalue good works, and traits of character such 
as were manifested on this occasion. Although they 
have not power to save the soul, and cannot take the 
place of a vital faith, yet they are the essential ac- 
companiments of genuine religion. They may exist 
without vital godliness ; but vital godliness cannot 
exist without them. It was never the design of the 
Gospel to abrogate the law. Christ came to fulfil 
the law ; to render it honorable ; to reinstate in the 
human soul the authority of the commandments. 
He said to his disciples, " If ye love me, keep my 
commandments." In all his instructions, he never 
lost sight of holy obedience as an essential element 
of true piety. Formalism, or dependence upon an 
outward profession, whether under the ancient dis- 
pensation, or under the Gospel, were equally his ab- 
horrence. 

We sometimes meet with characters, professedly 
Christian, that practically repudiate good works and 
amiable qualities. So much zeal is manifested in 
the defence of the faith once delivered to the saints, 
that little remains to produce its fruits. While cer- 
tain formulas of doctrine are insisted upon with 
vehemence, and clung to with tenacity, the great 
duties that one owes to society and to God are over- 
looked. 



INTERVIEW WITH THE RICH YOUNG MAX. 159 

Now it is evident from the life and instructions of 
Christ, that he regarded the chief force of one's influ- 
ence as lying in a holy character. He would have 
sound doctrine established in the intellect, but he 
w^ould have it there that it might be developed in the 
life, and create an example that would lead others to 
glorify our Father who is in heaven. 

The next point to be noticed is, the state of mind 
with which this young ruler approached Christ. 

It is evident that he was earnestly desirous of se- 
curing the salvation of his soul. "We are informed 
that he came running to Jesus, as though he was not 
willing that the opportunity afforded of having an 
interview with him, should pass by unimproved. 
He had listened to Christ's teachings, and perhaps 
witnessed some of his miracles. His interest in the 
Messiah may have been gradually awakened, and 
his mind may have passed through various struggles 
between the claims of this world, and the rewards 
of eternity, before he brought himself to the point 
of going directly to the Saviour. We can hardly 
suppose, considering his circumstances and the posi- 
tion that he occupied, and the feelings which the 
Jews generally entertained towards the despised 
Nazarene, that this step was taken suddenly, or 
without long premeditation. If Nicodemus thought 
it necessary to visit Christ by night, in order to avoid 
the suspicion of being favorable to his cause, and if 
the public sentiment was indicated by the inquiry, 
" Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed on 
him ? " we must suppose that the boldness and ear- 
nestness of this young ruler were prompted by strong 



160 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

feelings, and by ardent desires to obtain eternal life. 
Besides, he approached Christ with the greatest rev- 
erence and humility. He kneeled before hinirin the 
presence of his disciples, and of the spectators who 
stood around. Thus he publicly bore testimony to 
the confidence that he placed in the Great Teacher, 
and in the truth of his instructions. In addressing 
him, he said, " Good Master, what good thing shall I 
do that I may inherit eternal life ? '' The Saviour 
perceiving the precise state of the inquirer's mind, 
and the meaning which he attached to the title 
which he had addressed to him, instead of giving an 
immediate answer, endeavored to direct his attention 
to the source of infinite goodness, and persuade him 
to free his mind from the spirit of self-righteousness 
which he shared in common with the Jews at that 
day. He wished to establish in the young ruler just 
conceptions of the divine character, as the only true 
basis upon which he could build his religious hopes. 
If the idea was entertained that a created being or a 
prophet had power to impart salvation, the Saviour 
wished to expel such an idea from the mind. On 
another occasion he would doubtless have admitted 
this title that was addressed to him, but he had a 
special reason for the comments that he made upon 
it at this time. 

In the convictions and feelings of this young ruler, 
we recognize the moral state of a large number of 
intelligent and upright persons in the nominally 
Christian world. This class are intellectually con- 
vinced of the truth of the Gospel dispensation. 
They perceive the beauties and excellences of the 



INTERVIEW WITH THE RICH YOUNG MAN. 161 

doctrines that Christ taught, — the necessity of a 
divine revelation to instruct man in regard to his 
duty and his destiny; and the need of heavenly 
light to guide us in our journeyings towards eternity. 
In their hours of meditation, or in the stillness of 
night, when the very silence fills the mind with so- 
lemnity, and the stars declare the perfections and 
glory of God, an influence gathers around the heart 
that urges them to go to the Saviour, and learn of him 
what they shall do to inherit eternal life. On the 
Sabbath, in the midst of sanctuary services, when 
God's truth is before the conscience, and worldly in- 
terests are low in the scale of one's estimation, there 
are strong desires to be prepared for the hazards of 
eternity. The reason and judgment, as well as the 
feelings of the heart, are on the side of truth and 
righteousness. 

Indeed, that heart must be sadly destitute of sensi- 
bility that cannot at times be moved by the exhibi- 
tions of divine love, and the various means that God 
is employing to bless and save the world. That mind 
must be under a fearful paralysis that cannot at times, 
in the midst of great mercies or terrible judgments, 
send its thoughts forward to explore the future. The 
great facts connected with our being, leaving out of 
view a divine revelation, — the certainty of death, the 
possibility of a future life, and that momentous con- 
sequences may be connected with our conduct here, 
— are enough to fill any heart with emotion, and 
any mind with profound anxiety. 

But we have reason to apprehend that the analogy 
between this class of persons and the young ruler 

14* 



162 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

holds true in other points, beside the one we have 
xtonsidered. 

The inquirer, having replied with great readiness 
to the question put to him respecting the command- 
ments, said, " What lack I yet ? " He felt probably 
that his morality in the several' particulars specified, 
was sufficient to secure his salvation. But to put 
the matter beyond all doubt, he proposed this ques- 
tion, " What lack I yet ? " The Saviour, impressed 
by his frankness and earnestness, gazed upon him 
with emotions of tender compassion. Reading his 
Jieart, and knowing just what barriers he must break 
through in order to obtain light and hope, he said to 
him, " One thing thou lackest.'' " If thou wilt be 
perfect, go thy way, sell what thou hast, and give to 
the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: 
;and come, take up the cross, and follow me." In 
this language we see that Christ comes directly to 
the point in the case. The proposition which he 
imakes is clear and searching. To some it may seem 
Jiarsh and unnecessarily severe. But it simply con- 
tains, in an intense form, the great principle upon 
which the gospel scheme had been from the com- 
imencement promulgated, — the principle that the 
law of benevolence must be the supreme law of the 
soul, — that love to God and to our neighbor must 
be the highest affection of the regenerate heart. The 
same truth is brought out in the declarations : " Ye 
cannot serve God and mammon ; " ''If any man will 
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his 
cross." And if we will narrowly scrutinize the prin- 
tciple for a moment, we shall see, that instead of be- 



INTERVIEW WITH THE RICH YOUNG MAN. 163 

ing severe or arbitrary, it is the only principle by 
which the great purposes of redemption can be 
secured. For no other would have force enough to 
purge the soul of selfishness, and restore to the mind 
the lost image of its Maker. No other would be ade- 
quate to the work of breaking up the giant systems 
of evil in the world, and reorganizing society upon 
the broad basis of justice and right. No other would 
be capable of uniting the soul to God in the bonds 
of everlasting love. No other would afford any war- 
rant that " the glorious gospel of the blessed God " 
would survive the obstacles and difficulties that 
would be encountered, and be carried forward to a 
triumphant consummation. Suppose that Christ had 
demanded but a partial surrendering of the affections 
and services of his followers to himself; suppose that 
he had made proclamation, that it was possible to 
serve God and mammon, what efficacy would there 
have been in his system ? Every heart that he 
claimed would have been a divided empire, and his 
cause would, at best, have had but a feeble support. 
Besides, according to the laws of mind, there can be, 
at the same time, but one supreme object of pur- 
suit. The attention may be divided between differ- 
ent objects, but one must rule the affections and 
energies of the soul. When these objects come in 
conflict, the less, in one's estimation, must yield to 
the greater. If love to God is the supreme affection, 
then every thing must bow to this. If avarice, or 
ambition, or vice, is in the ascendency, then the sov- 
ereignty of this principle is asserted over every other 
interest. In some cases, the specific acts under dif- 



164 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

ferent supreme purposes may appear to draw very 
near to the line that divides the territory of benevo- 
lence from that of selfishness ; as, for example, a 
man's morality may be so rigid and his virtues so 
praiseworthy, as to almost seem to touch the line 
that defines the boundary of religious principle. But, 
after all, it is the nature of a man's ruling purpose 
that decides his character ; and the Saviour saw, that 
while the young ruler had many amiable qualities 
and many virtues, and was indeed lovely, that still 
the principle of avarice was upon the throne of his 
heart. He sought, therefore, at once to dethrone 
that principle. The honor of God, the success of his 
cause, and the highest welfare of the young ruler, 
demanded it. Its destruction was absolutely essen- 
tial to a thorough work of grace in his soul. With 
the benevolent principle in the ascendency, the work 
of sanctification could advance; the Holy Spirit 
could take up his abode in the soul, and render it a 
temple of the living God. Every Christian grace 
would flourish, and the fruits of the Spirit would be 
experienced — love, peace, and joy. The full force of 
the man's energies and life would be given to the 
cause of truth, and to the sublime work of the world's 
redemption. Had the proposition been acceded to, 
the name of that young ruler might have come down 
to us surrounded by holy influences, and carrying 
with it a sacred power into the circles of' wealth, 
refinement, and authority. It might have ranked 
with the names of St. Paul and St. John, and have 
grown with the growth, and extended with the exten- 
sion of Christianity. 



INTERVIEW WITH THE RICH YOUNG MAN. 165 

Besides, infinite blessings were offered as a reward 
for the sacrifice. " Thou shalt have treasure in 
heaven," said the Saviour. The joys and glories of an 
immortal state would be his portion. He would be 
admitted to a participation in honors and pleasures 
that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor even the 
heart of man conceived. 

But how was the rich young man aflfected by the 
proposition ? Alas, with mingled astonishment and 
sadness he listened to these words from the lips of 
the Great Teacher. Troubled in spirit, anxious to 
obtain eternal life, and yet unwilling to give up his 
great possessions, he turned his back upon the Sav- 
iour and went away. Nor do we learn that he ever 
returned again. Blinded by the glitter of worldly 
riches, and fascinated by the transient pleasures 
which they procured for him, he preferred them to 
immortal treasures. Though he had been admitted 
to an interview with the King of kings, and Lord of 
lords ; though he had the pledge of eternal life from 
him whose name is called " Wonderful, Counsellor, 
the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace ; " though he 
might have united his interests to him who was to 
be exalted far above all principalities and powers, 
yet with a sorrowing heart he returned to the beg- 
garly elements of this world. After having stood, as 
it were, in * the gateway of the everlasting city, he 
turned his back upon its palaces and temples, and 
voluntarily clung to treasures that at best could 
afford him but a superficial and temporary happi- 
ness. 

In his dying moments with what emotions must 



166 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

the decision of this hour have been regarded ! How 
rapid the change in the comparative value of earthly 
and heavenly treasures ! How the world sinks, 
viewed from the verge of the futm-e life! How 
eternity rises ! We cannot but suppose that in that 
solemn hour, this proposition must have stood out 
with fearful prominence before his mind. His great 
possessions he must now leave, whether he will or 
not. Had he consecrated them upon the altar of 
benevolence, he might, as it were, carry them with 
him, and been received by the supreme King with 
the welcome, " Well done, good and faithful servant, 
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." But that 
wealth to him now is a mere wreck. It cannot keep 
him from sinking in the dark waters of death. It 
cannot comfort him. He may leave it in legacies to 
the destitute, but that will be but a poor substitute 
for a life of earnest benevolence and devoted piety. 
I apprehend that the Supreme Being does not look 
with any special complacency upon that charity that 
only comes from a man with his dying breath. Cer- 
tainly the element of self-denial does not enter into 
it. Benevolent societies may sometimes be the 
gainers, but what Christ demands is the services and 
charities of living, and not dying men. Besides, one 
great purpose of charity is, that the donor may him- 
self be blessed. While the earth is the Lord's and 
the fulness thereof, the Deity cannot be dependent 
upon the legacies or gifts of any of his creatures. 

Let us turn to notice the comments ivJiich Christ 
made upon this scene, to the spectators who witnessed 
it. He availed himself of the occasion to show how 



INTERVIEW WITH THE RICH YOUNG MAN. 167 

hard it is for them that trust in riches to enter into 
the kingdom of God. In explaining his words to his 
disciples, he assures them that what is impossible with 
men is possible with God ; that divine grace is suffi- 
cient to overcome the power of avarice. Yet he 
would impress them with the great danger of the 
soul's being ensnared and destroyed by the riches of 
this world. The instance which had just passed be- - 
fore them was a melancholy illustration of the power 
of avarice in holding a mind in its grasp that was 
enlightened in regard to its duty, and convinced of 
the necessity of making vigorous efforts to secure 
eternal life. Nor is the danger from this source con- 
fined to those, who, like this rich young man, have 
great possessions. Judas, without wealth, fell before 
the power of the same principle. The poor man, as 
well as the rich man, may be under the dominion of 
covetousness. The principle is the same, whether 
the field for its operation is large or small. And 
here, mainly, is the battle ground upon which the 
spiritual interests of the soul are decided. The 
great struggle in Christendom, and wherever the 
light of divine truth has excited inquiry and reflec- 
tion, is between God on the one hand, and mammon 
on the other. Mammon, or wealth, standing as the 
representative of worldly good, presses its claims, 
while God, the representative and source of infinite 
blessings, urges his demands upon our supreme 
aifections. The former appeals to the outward 
senses, the latter to the spiritual nature. The former 
deals with the inclinations and carnal desires, the 
latter with conscience and duty. The former covers 



168 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

only the interests of time, the latter spreads over 
eternity. The former is limited and transient, the 
latter infinite and imperishable. 

Upon this battle ground we all stand. In every 
heart one of these principles is supreme. There is 
no neutrality here. The nature of mind, the nature 
of Christianity, the nature of God forbid it. He 
who is not for me, said Christ, is against me. 

The highest form of the principle of benevolence 
is presented to us in the life of the Great Teacher 
himself. He not only for our sakes became poor, 
but he gave all that one being could give for the 
benefit of others, gave his life, submitted to a most 
cruel and ignominious death. Hence Christianity is 
the very essence of benevolence, and in this lies its 
force. This constitutes it the reformatory power of 
the world. 

Christ dwells also upon the abundant and glorious 
rewards that accrue to those who give up all to his 
cause. In reply to a question put to him by Peter, 
he said, " Every one that hath forsaken houses, or 
brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother .... for my 
name's sake, shall receive an hundred-fold, and shall 
inherit everlasting life." That this cause should be 
attended with glorious results in the future life, is 
what we might naturally expect; but that it will 
yield an hundred-fold more happiness in this life than 
the opposite course, is, to many, a very strange doc- 
trine. Yet we have the authority of Christ for its 
truth. The approbation of conscience; the knowl- 
edge that we are in the path of duty, and are living 
for the purest and highest purposes ; the divine com- 



INTERVIEW WITH THE RICH YOUNG MAN. 169 

munications imparted to the soul ; the peace of God 
that passeth all understanding ; the clear and bright 
visions of future felicity, will afford an hundred fold 
more happiness than the wealth and honors of this 
world. The apostles experienced the truth of this 
even in the midst of persecution. St. Paul speaks 
of himself as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as 
poor, yet making many rich ; as having nothing, and 
yet possessing all things. 



15 



XIV. 

THE RAISING OF LAZAEUS. 



" He cried with a loud voice, lazarus, come forth, and 

HE THAT WAS DEAD CAME FORTH." — St. Jollll xi. 43, 44. 

In the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus, all 
are personally interested. If its truth can be sub- 
stantiated, — if the evidences upon which it rests are 
such as cannot be overthrown, then it furnishes a 
most important ground of hope and of faith. For 
the question of questions to every thoughtful mind 
is, " If a man die, shall he live again ? " When the 
breath leaves the body, and all this complicated and 
nicely adjusted machinery ceases to act, and the 
form lies cold, silent, and unconscious, the inquiry 
will force itself upon us, is this the end of man's ex- 
istence ? Is the principle of vitality never to reani- 
mate this form, but eternal darkness and solitude to 
be its portion? Nor does the frequency of death 
lessen the anxiety to fathom its mysteries, or detract 
from the profound solemnity of the event. Though 
the countless millions of past generations have been 



THE RAISING OF LAZARUS. 171 

swept from the stage of life ; though every hour of 
these revolving days and years, the king of terrors 
numbers his victims, yet death to each individual is 
as solemn and mysterious an event, as if he alone 
was subject to its power. The thought of leaving the 
world never to return, — of closing our eyes upon the 
sunlight, upon the beauties of the earth's scenery, and 
lying down in the darkness and silence of the tomb, — 
the sad consciousness of parting with kind friends, 
and all that has rendered life dear and attractive, — 
the fact that the untried scenes of eternity are so 
near, are calculated to excite the deepest emotions 
of the soul. As the shadows of death fall upon the 
spirit, the dying man strains his vision to discern 
some rays of light in the regions beyond the dark 
valley. He involuntarily pleads for some assurance 
that death is not an eternal sleep, that this sinking 
away of consciousness is not final and irrecoverable. 
In the midst of his gloom and perplexities, Christ 
appears before him with the evidences that he has 
power over the grave, that he is mightier than death, 
that he can dissipate its sadness, solve its dark mys- 
teries, and make the scenes beyond brighter and 
more glorious than any that have been witnessed on 
earth. He can point to the raising of Lazarus, as 
proof that he has power to summon the millions 
from their graves, and reanimate the mouldering 
forms that lie scattered over the islands and conti- 
nents of the earth, and are buried in the caverns of 
the deep. 

This miracle, having so intimate a bearing upon 
our personal hopes, is worthy of examination in its 



172 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

various details and connecting circumstances. Our 
blessed Lord, while prosecuting his labors in Judea, 
formed a warm attachment for a family, consisting 
of a brother and two sisters, residing in Bethany, a 
village situated at the foot of the Mount of Olives, 
about two miles from Jerusalem. He had often ex- 
perienced their hospitality and shared in their kind 
attentions. In the midst of his trials and hardships, 
it was truly refreshing to his spirit to commune with 
this pious family, receive their affectionate sympathy, 
and witness the evidences of their faith and love. 
On their part, they esteemed it the greatest privilege 
and honor to entertain the Saviour, and to contribute 
in any way to his comfort. They believed in him as 
the long promised Messiah, as the Teacher sent from 
God, as the Son of the Most High. They naturally 
took the most intense delight in his society, and in 
listening to the words of heavenly wisdom and love 
which fell from his lips. 

We deem it, under any circumstances, a source of 
pleasure and profit to converse with the wise and 
good ; to obtain through animated and friendly 
conversation the benefit of their varied and critical 
studies, their profound meditations, and their experi- 
ence in years of virtuous and benevolent action. But 
how far transcending the advantages of all human 
intercourse, was the privilege of sitting down in the 
quietness and security of a Christian family, and con- 
versing with him who possessed infinite knowledge ; 
in whom dwelt all the riches of heavenly wisdom, 
whose love for the human race was like a fathomless, 
shoreless ocean. We may, in imagination, picture 



THE RAISING OF LAZARUS. 173 

before our minds this interesting group, with Laza- 
rus, Mary, and Martha, proposing questions to their 
illustrious guest touching the interests of the soul and 
the realities of the immortal state. As he discourses 
upon the great doctrines of his system of truth, — as 
he presents clearly to their minds his own nature and 
character, — the sublimity and glory of the work 
which he had come to achieve ; — especially as he 
described to them the blessedness, holiness, and felic- 
ity of heaven, their attention is naturally riveted to 
his words, and their souls filled with the most intense 
excitement and enrapturing emotions. If Christ was 
so ready, in his journeyings through Judea, to in- 
struct the ignorant and to reason with even the scep- 
tical and those who were opposed to him, we must 
suppose that in a pious family like this, where he 
found an anxiety to receive instruction, that there 
was a richness, fervor, eloquence, and celestial glow 
to his teachings that far surpass our most vivid con- 
ceptions. We must suppose that every new inter- 
view that this favored family had with their guest, 
increased their delight in his instructions, their enthu- 
siastic admiration for his character, and their affection 
for him as a warm personal friend. 

Any of us would regard it as an inestimable privi- 
lege thus to sit down and listen to the instructions 
of him who was the very embodiment of all truth, 
knowledge, wisdom, and love! To hear him dis- 
course of life and immortality, — to receive from him 
clear and absolute knowledge upon points that have 
perplexed and saddened us, — to have him clear 
away the mists of error and the doubts that have 
15* 



174 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

overshadowed our faith, and enable us to look be- 
yond the valley of death, and discern the beauties 
and glories of the heavenly state, would indeed be 
the highest felicity ! One hour of such conversation 
w^ith the Lord of glory would afford more distinct 
and impressive views of theological truth, and more 
stimulus to press forward for the immortal prizes that 
are held out to the Christian, than all the writings of 
philosophers and the treasures of human learning. 

We cannot wonder that between this family and 
the blessed Messiah a close and affectionate intimacy 
was formed. But like all other Christians during 
their earthly pilgrimage, the happiness of this family 
was subject to the vicissitudes and sorrows of life. 
While Jesus was in Perea, about a day's journey 
from Bethany, Lazarus was taken sick, and a mes- 
senger was sent to acquaint the Saviour of the fact. 
Several motives may have influenced the sisters in 
doing this. They may have supposed that Christ 
would naturally desire to see his friend, who had 
thus been suddenly prostrated by a severe attack of 
sickness. Or if Lazarus was about to die, they 
would wish to have Christ near to administer to him 
the consolations of religion, and quicken his hopes 
of future and immortal happiness. Or, such was 
their confidence in the power of the Saviour, they 
supposed that if he were present, he would heal their 
brother ; for Martha said to him when they met, " if 
thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." 
But Christ, to comfort the sisters, sent back this 
reply, although its import was not at that time obvi- 
ous. " This sickness is not unto death, but for the 



THE RAISING OF LAZARUS. 175 

glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified 
thereby." When these words reached them, they 
were doubtless greatly soothed ; although the word 
death is equivalent to the phrase "remaining under 
death," and does not necessarily imply that Lazarus 
should not die. But their comfort is of short dura- 
tion, for on the very evening probably that the mes- 
sengers returned, Lazarus died. 

Here was, indeed, a most severe trial to the faith 
of the pious sisters. In the midst of their deep sor- 
rows they had sent for their sphitual guide and 
instructor, and he had not come to them. Although 
they had sent the tender message, " Behold, he whom 
thou lovest is sick," yet the affection which he had 
manifested towards their brother, had not drawn him 
to the scene. The promise, too, that he made, seemed 
to be broken ; and thus in the very hour when they 
most needed sympathy, they were deprived of it. 
What conflicting feelings must have agitated their 
minds as they thought of the words of Christ, and 
then looked upon the cold, lifeless form of their de- 
parted brother! How many inquiries and tempta- 
tions must have been presented by the scene through 
which they were passing ! Is it possible, they ask, 
that we have been deceived by him whom we have 
entertained with so much pleasure, and listened to 
with such admiration ? Or does he lack the power 
of arresting the progress of disease and saving human 
life ? Or has he become so much interested in others 
as to have lost his friendship for us ? Their perplex- 
ity and sorrow were, as we may well imagine, most 
intense. 



176 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

The body is prepared for burial ; the hour for the 
last solemn rites is appointed; the mourners assem- 
ble ; the procession, with all the marks of profound 
sorrow, moves towards the tomb ; the corpse is laid 
away in its cold, silent resting-place; the sisters 
return to their desolate home, and yet through all, 
no Messiah appears to comfort them. 

How frequently have Christians in affliction been 
placed in circumstances similar to these, when a dark 
and impenetrable cloud hung over all their earthly 
prospects; when their supports one after another 
give way, and their faith in any good is put to the 
severest test ! 

But, from the narrative of St. John, it appears, 
that Christ was by no means indifferent to the sor- 
rows of his bereaved friends, nor ignorant of what 
was transpiring in Bethany. After two days had 
elapsed from the time he heard of Lazarus' sickness, 
he proposed to return to Judea. But his disciples, 
astonished and alarmed at the proposition, said to 
him : " Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee, 
and goest thou thither again ? " They were fearful 
that some calamity might befall him, and they 
thought that the least they could do was to keep out 
of the way of danger. Christ, in replying to them, 
labored to strengthen their courage, and to show that 
if they walked in the light and strove to fulfil their 
duty, they had nothing to fear. He then tells them 
why he desires to go : " Our friend Lazarus sleepeth ; 
but I go that I may wake him out of sleep." The 
disciples not understanding his meaning, said : " K 
he sleep, he shall do well," assigning this as an addi- 



THE RAISING OF LAZARUS. 177 

tional reason why their Master should not expose 
himself to such imminent danger. Then Jesus said 
plainly, " Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your 
sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may be- 
lieve ; nevertheless, let us go unto him." He would 
gladly, for the sake of the afflicted family, have been 
with them, and saved them from the severe anguish 
which they had been called to suffer. But as far as 
the disciples were concerned, he was glad of the 
opportunity of increasing their faith by a display of 
his miraculous power, such as they had not before 
witnessed. And although he would run great hazard 
in returning to a region where the people were so 
excited and enraged against him, yet his purpose is 
formed to go to Bethany. His affection for the pious 
family that had so hospitably entertained him, his 
desire to increase the faith and stimulate the zeal of 
his beloved disciples, and his anxiety to furnish a 
proof of the doctrine of the resurrection that would 
impress his followers in all nations and ages of the 
world, were sufficient motives to induce him to 
encounter whatever obstacles might impede his pro- 
gress. It is most interesting thus to see the love and 
energy of the Saviour raising his spirit above the 
influence of adverse circumstances, fortifying him for 
every emergency, and prompting him to press for- 
ward for the accomplishment of his great and sub- 
lime work. "When his purpose was fully known, 
Thomas said to his fellow disciples : " Let us also go^ 
that we may die with him." " Let us share his trials 
and dangers, and, if necessary, sacrifice our lives in 
his cause. For it is better to die with such a Master 



178 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

than to live without the consolations and spiritual 
benefits which he alone can impart." 

The tidings of Christ's approach to Bethany 
reached Martha first, and she went forth to meet 
him, while Mary remained in the house overwhelmed 
with grief. At the sight of her Saviour, Martha's 
affection and confidence returned. She said to him, 
" Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not 
died. But I know that even now, whatsoever thou 
wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith 
unto her. Thy brother shall rise again. Martha said 
to him, I know that he shall rise again in the resur- 
rection at the last day." The w^ords that follow from 
the lips of the Saviour, are among the most precious, 
sublime, and thrilling that are to be found in the 
sacred volume. They should be engraved as with a 
pen of iron, and the point of a diamond, upon every 
pious heart. They should be inscribed in golden 
letters upon every Christian temple. They should 
be meditated upon at all times, and under all cir- 
cumstances, in the house and by the w^ay, when we 
go out and when we come in. They should increase 
our faith, stimulate our hopes, and fire our zeal. They 
should be recited for the consolation of the afflicted, 
to enable such to reflect with composure upon the 
departure of beloved friends, and cherish the hope of a 
reunion in a purer and brighter state of being. They 
should be uttered in the hearing of the dying saint, 
that as dark shadows are falling upon his earthly 
prospects, he may be cheered by the dawning bright- 
ness of an eternal day. Listen, then, to them, and 
fathom if you can their sublime and glorious import. 



THE RAISING OF LAZARUS. 179 

" Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the 
life ; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, 
yet shall he live ; and whosoever liveth and believeth 
in me shall never die ! " And the inquiry following, 
which Christ put to Martha, he would with empha- 
sis address to every thinking, immortal being, Be- 
lievest thou this ? The great question to us all, — 
one that involves the highest, mightiest interests of 
the soul ! 

After this conversation, in which thus incidentally 
was brought out this great truth, Martha hastened 
to Mary, and secretly said to her, " The master is 
come, and calleth for thee." She quickly arose and 
went to him ; and her Jewish friends who had called 
to comfort her, followed her out of the house, sup- 
posing that she was going to the grave to weep 
there. When she came to the place w^here Jesus 
was, she was overwhelmed with the deepest emo- 
tion ; and, falling down at his feet, she said, " if thou 
hadst been here my brother had not died." The 
Saviour observing her and her friends in tears, was 
moved by the scene, and the Evangelist informs us 
that " Jesus wept." In this short verse, the shortest 
in the Bible, there is condensed a fulness and rich- 
ness of meaning that carries comfort and sympathy 
to every afflicted soul. Although the Saviour knew 
that he was soon to turn this sorrow into joy ; al- 
though he was conscious of possessing a power 
mightier than death, yet such was the tenderness of 
his nature, and the strength of his affections and 
sympathies, that he could not refrain from giving 
vent to his feelings. And his example on this occa- 



180 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

sion, affords us a warrant to mourn over the loss of 
dear friends, and to weep at the graves of those we 
love. It was never the design of the gospel to 
blunt the sensibilities of the soul, or to suppress the 
natural feelings of the heart in seasons of bereave- 
ment. It comes rather to regulate and soothe these 
feelings, to lead the sorrowful to the divine fountain 
of sympathy and consolation. It comes to relieve 
the darkness of the grave with the soft light of a 
celestial and immortal state. It comes not to de- 
stroy affliction, but to cause it to work out for the 
Christian a far more exceeding and eternal weight 
of glory. 

The company having arrived at the tomb, Jesus 
ordered the stone to be removed from the entrance. 
A distinguished divine remarks, that " Our Lord 
could with perfect ease have commanded the stone 
to roll away of itself, without employing any to re- 
move it ; but he judiciously avoided all unnecessary 
pomp and parade, and mingled all the majesty of 
this astonishing miracle with the most amiable mod- 
esty and simplicity." The stone having been re- 
moved, and a prayer of thanksgiving offered to 
heaven, Jesus " cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, 
come forth. And he that was dead came forth, 
bound hand and foot with grave-clothes ; and his 
face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith 
unto them. Loose him and let him go." With the 
particulars respecting the mode of preparing the 
dead for burial at that time, and the manner in 
which Lazarus raised himself up in the sepulchre, 
we need not concern ourselves ; as they are fully ex- 



THE RAISING OF LAZARUS. 181 

plained in the writings of commentators and theolo- 
gians. It is in the great fact of the resurrection of 
Lazarus that we are interested ; and after a careful 
examination of the evidences connected with the 
miracle, we are free to affirm, that all the circum- 
stances conspire to substantiate its credibility. The 
fact that the deceased had been dead four days, so 
that Martha feared that the decay of the body might 
have already commenced, when it was proposed to 
roll away the stone from the sepulchre ; the absence 
of Christ at the time of the death and burial ; the 
large number of persons who witnessed the miracle , 
the impossibility of deceit or jugglery having been 
practised under such circumstances ; the express dec- 
laration of Christ to his disciples, that Lazarus was 
dead ; and other facts, prove that the credibility of 
this event is placed beyond all reasonable dispute. 
We are warranted in recognizing in it the assurance, 
that the same being who wrought this miracle, has 
power to call the slumbering millions of our race 
from their graves. Lazarus appears and walks forth 
as a proof that the king of terrors may be conquered, 
and that those who sincerely believe in Jesus will 
hear his voice and come forth to share in the bless- 
ings of eternal life. 

16 



XV. 

THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY. 



" On the next day, much people that were come to the 
feast, when they heard that jesus was coming to jeru- 
salem, took branches of palm trees and went forth to 
meet hi3r, and cried, hosanna ; blessed is the king of 
israel, that cometh in the name of the lord." — st. 
John xii. 12, 13. 

Although the fame of Christ, and especially the 
raising of Lazarus, awakened the jealousy and rage 
of the Pharisees, yet among the masses of the people 
they excited the most intense enthusiasm. The thou- 
sands of people who were flocking to Jerusalem to 
celebrate the passover, found that the wonderful mir- 
acles which Christ had wrought were everywhere the 
topic of conversation. In the houses and streets of 
the city; amid the throngs that stood about the 
temple ; at the gates, and in the neighboring villages, 
it was evident that a profound sensation had been 
produced. Multitudes rushed to Bethany to learn 
the particulars respecting the raising of Lazarus, and 
to confirm with their own eyes the reports which they 



THK TRIUMPHAL ENTKY. 183 

had heard. Some were actuated by curiosity to 
behold a man who, after having been dead and in 
the gi'ave four days, was now living and mingling 
as usual with his family and friends. Others were 
desirous of beholding the remarkable person about 
whom they had heard so much, and who possessed 
the extraordinary power of calling the dead to life. 

Under such circumstances, it was natm*al that the 
fiends of Christ should desire to make some public 
demonstration of their respect and reverence for so 
illustrious a personage. Nor was the Messiah him- 
self unwilling to yield on this occasion to the enthu- 
siasm of the people. He felt that the time had come 
for making a public acknowledgment of his claims 
as the king of the Jews, — as the founder of a new 
and spiritual emphe, — even the kingdom of God in 
the earth. He knew, indeed, that the triumph would 
be short, that the songs and shouts of the people 
would soon be silenced, and that some who were the 
most forward in celebrating his praises, might soon 
raise the cry, " crucify him." While in the select 
cu'cle of his bosom friends and disciples, his charac- 
ter and mission were to a great extent understood, 
yet the great multitude of the people were ignorant 
of the extent of his claims, and the nature of his 
kingdom. In order, therefore, to enlighten their 
minds, and to silence all objections that might in the 
future be made against him for not having come out 
openly, and with sufficient distinctness to impress 
the popular mind, he consented to make a triumphal 
entry into Jerusalem. We can readily see that it 
was a question of vast importance to decide, to what 



184 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

extent Christ should make a demonstration of his 
miraculous power, unfold his system of truth, and 
reveal his purposes and claims. He had so many 
elements and phases of human depravity to deal 
with, such a variety of opinions and doubts to en- 
counter, and so delicate a task to remove an ancient 
dispensation that was a divine institution, but had 
expended its force ; that it was a very nice point to 
decide what course to pursue to meet'the emergen- 
cies which daily arose. If he, on all occasions, came 
out with the utmost plainness and fearlessness, the 
prejudices of the people might be too strongly ex- 
cited against him, and his life might be destroyed 
before the great work of unfolding his system and 
furnishing the best evidences of its truth, was accom- 
plished. If, on the other hand, he was too obscure 
in his utterances, and retired in his habits, he might 
fail to reach the multitude, and gain them over to his 
cause. Hence, the greatest wisdom was necessary 
in all his movements and teachings, that he might 
accomplish his purposes, and at the same time adapt 
himself to the circumstances and wants of the peo- 
ple. And we find that this wisdom was displayed 
on all occasions, though it was not always attended 
with success, as Christ .once told the people, after an 
attempt to instruct them, " But whereunto shall I 
liken this generation ? It is like unto children, sitting 
in the markets and calling unto their fellows and 
saying. We have piped unto you, and ye have not 
danced ; we have mourned unto you, and ye have 
not lamented. For John came neither eating nor 
drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of 



THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY. 185 

man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, 
a man gluttonous and a wine-bibber, a friend of pub- 
licans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her 
children." All the wise and truly good will see the 
design of this variety, and its adaptation to promote 
the glory of God and the salvation of men. 

On many occasions, when the people had become 
greatly excited, Christ retired from them, and left 
them to return to their homes to meditate upon the 
scenes that they had witnessed, and the truths they 
had heard. But on his departure from Bethany to 
go to Jerusalem at this time, he allowed his disciples 
and the host that had gathered in the village to ac- 
company him. On their way, an ass's colt was pro- 
vided upon which Jesus rode, thus rendering his per- 
son more conspicuous to the people, and fulfilling the 
prophecy of Zechariah, " Fear not, daughter of Zion : 
behold, thy king cometh sitting on an ass's colt." 
We need not suppose that among the oriental na- 
tions any idea of* degradation or humiliation was, 
attached to a person's riding upon such animals, 
they being larger and more beautiful than those that 
are with us. In distinction from horses that were 
used in war and in military celebrations, this animal, 
selected by Christ, was the emblem of peace, and 
was used by kings and princes upon great occasions. 
The patriarchs and judges did not deem it disgrace- 
ful to ride upon them, as is seen in the cases of 
Abraham, Moses, and the Jair's family, recorded in 
the ancient Scriptures. 

The people, to show their reverence, threw their 
loose mantles upon the colt upon which Jesus sat.; 

16* 



186 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

and as he rode along he was escorted with the hon- 
.ors of royalty, and demonstrations of the most en- 
.thusiastic admiration. Multitudes spread their gar- 
.ments along the road, thus making a continuous 
carpet for the illustrious prince to ride upon. Others 
cut branches from the trees, and gathered flowers 
and strewed them in the way ; which was the mode 
of expressing the public joy at the arrival of a dis- 
tinguished king. 

The motives that actuated many in the crowd, 
mav have been of a mixed, and of a secular charac- 
ter. Some may have joined the company simply 
from love of excitement. Others may have supposed 
that the reign of Christ as a temporal prince, would 
now commence, and that on reaching Jerusalem he 
would proclaim and vindicate his title to the throne 
of Israel. They expected that he would pronounce, 
perhaps under the shadow of the temple, an inau- 
gural address, such as never fell upon mortal ears ; 
and that he would make a demonstration of his 
divine power, that would convince all the inhabitants 
of the city, and the vast throngs of strangers that 
were gathered within its walls, that he was their 
rightful sovereign. But, erroneous as may have been 
the views of some, there were many who were 
influenced by pure and even spiritual motives, — 
many who believed that the long promised Messiah 
had come. They recognized in the person of Jesus, 
him of whom prophets had spoken, of whom the 
Psalmist David had sung, and for whose reception 
the nations had been, for thousands of years, in a 
course of preparation. Their hearts were filled with 



THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY. 187 

gratitude, that such a teacher and prince from the 
royal courts above had condescended to visit the 
earth, mingle with sinful men, and open before them 
life and immortality. Their spirits were fired with 
zeal to bestow the highest honors upon their great 
Master. They desired that all the world might 
share in the blessings he had to bestow, — that his 
spiritual sovereignty might be established, and his 
reign become universal. Nor can this spectacle be 
otherwise than refreshing to every true disciple of 
Jesus. It is certainly an immense relief to turn from 
the scenes of toil, sorrow, and anguish, through 
which we are so often called to follow the Messiah, 
and behold him receiving the honors due to his 
heavenly character and exalted station. "We rejoice 
to see even for a short season, the dark clouds that 
have so long surrounded his pathway breaking away, 
and the light flashing in upon him. "We rejoice that 
he can for once, at least, hear praises instead of 
threats, and be followed by a band who seek to 
honor and not to destroy him. The shout of that 
multitude falls as music upon our ears. Their out- 
burst of admiration comes to us as an indication 
that the cause of this illustrious, wonderful being, is 
not hopeless, and that the sensibilities of mankind 
are not entirely deadened. 

When the procession reached the descent of the 
Mount of Olives, they were met by a crowd of peo- 
ple, Yv^ho having come up to celebrate the feast from 
Galilee and the neighboring countries, had been in- 
formed that the Messiah was approaching the city. 
Without waiting for him to come within the gates, 



188 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

they rushed forth to gain a sight of him, and to join 
iji the demonstration of respect and honor which 
was being made. After a momentary pause, occa- 
sioned by the meeting of two such tides of living 
beings, and the inquiries that were made by the 
strangers respecting the truth of reports concerning 
the resurrection of Lazarus, the multitude moved on 
again with increased enthusiasm and augmented 
strength. They now took branches of palm trees, 
which were usually carried before heroes in a public 
triumph, and bore them high in the air in honor of 
the Prince of Peace. While the shouts of many in 
the far distance were rending the air, from the lips 
of others was heard that beautiful and noble an- 
them, taken from the Psalms of David, "Hosanna! 
Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the 
name of the Lord." Never before did the surround- 
ing mountains and the walls and towers of the city 
echo such a song ! Never did the earth witness a 
triumph so full of intense meaning and glorious re- 
sults ! For the hero comes not from the smoke of 
battle, and fields of slaughter. No piles of the 
slain, — no smouldering cities, — no crippled em- 
pires, — no chained captives form the background 
of this scene. The conqueror comes from the arena 
of moral victories. He has grappled with tempta- 
tion, — with the various forms of human wicked- 
ness, — with principalities and powers, and the rulers 
of the darkness of this world. He has maintained 
his integrity in the midst of a perverse and corrupt 
generation. He has overcome malice by kindness, 
hatred by love, cursing by blessing. He has estab- 



THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY. 189 

lished a spiritual kingdom that is antagonistic to 
every species of wickedness, that protests against all 
wrong and injustice, that is destined to rescue man 
from the ruins of the fall, reestablish the authority 
of the divine government, and guide the nations to 
happiness and glory. 

As the living stream poured along and drew near 
the gates of the city, the whole multitude of the dis- 
ciples who had, in times past, felt restrained, by fear 
of the Jews, from expressing publicly their admira- 
tion for the Messiah, now believed that the long 
desired moment had arrived for giving vent to their 
affections and emotions. The scene around them 
recalled the many acts of kindness which the Saviour 
had performed, the various and wonderful miracles 
which he had wrought, and the numerous instances 
when he deserved a demonstration of public grati- 
tude similar to this. They began, therefore, "to 
rejoice and praise God with a loud voice, for all the 
mighty works that they had seen ; '' " and cried, 
saying, Hosanna to the son of David : blessed is the 
King that cometh in the name of the Lord : peace in 
heaven, and glory in the highest." Then the vast 
throngs joined in a mighty chorus, and all expressed 
in the loudest and fullest manner their homage for 
the great King. They no longer feared the enemies 
of the Messiah. They no longer heeded the warn- 
ings of the government and the threats of priests and 
Pharisees. They knew that their leader, who had 
proved his power to raise the dead, could defend 
them against any foes, against even the combined 
armies of the world. If the gates of the city should 



190 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

be shut against them ; if the Roman forces should 
be gathered and ordered to obstruct their progress, 
they were confident that the foe would be instantly 
overcome, and the gates of the city forced open. The 
enthusiasm of the hour and the grandeur of the occa- 
sion might have reminded .them of those sublime 
words of the Psalmist : " Lift up your heads, O ye 
gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors, and 
the King of glory shall come in. Who is the King 
of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of 
glory." 

From the conduct of the disciples on this occasion, 
the followers of Christ in all ages may derive a les- 
son of practical importance. They may learn the 
necessity and the obligation that they are under to 
publicly make known their attachment to Christ. 
Though the vast majority of the earth's inhabitants 
may be too much immersed in the cares and vanities 
of life to heed the claims of the Messiah ; though the 
proud and self-righteous may deem his doctrines too 
humiliating for their acceptance ; though the learned 
may prefer reason to faith, and their philosophical 
speculations to a revealed system of moral truth, yet 
those who have felt the love of Christ in their hearts, 
and experienced the blessedness of his instructions, 
and of the great salvation which he has provided, 
should be willing to make a public acknowledgment 
of their gi*atitude and their indebtedness to the Mes- 
siah. If we have secured the pearl of great price, 
shall we hide the treasure from the gaze of others ? 
If we have become the sons of God, shall we refuse 
to acknowledge our spiritual parentage ? If we are 



THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY. 191 

the candidates for heavenly honors, and the heks of 
an everlasting kingdom, shall we be ashamed of our 
prospects and our inheritance ? Let the words of 
Christ be remembered, " Whosoever shall be ashamed 
of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man 
be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, 
and in his Father's, and of the holy angels." On that 
grand triumphal occasion, in which the Father, the 
Son, and the holy angels will participate, the splen- 
dors of which will be more dazzling than the sun, 
and all the glories of the material universe ; an occa- 
sion, compared with which the scene before us is 
but a passing shadow, multitudes will desire most 
intensely to join the throngs, and unite in the an- 
them, Hosanna to the son of David. But having in 
this world been ashamed of Christ, and having feared 
the ridicule of scoffers and the threats of the enemies 
of Jesus, he will, on that glorious day, be ashamed 
of them. It is a law of Christ's kingdom, that those 
who would reign with him in the future, must suffer 
with him in the present life. If one would share in 
the honors of a heavenly triumph, he must first pass 
through the dangers and struggles of the battle field, 
and thus have his valor and faith tested, and those 
moral qualities developed, that will fit him for the 
services and joys of a higher state of being. 

. As the vast throng pressed through the gates of 
the city, there was one body whom their shouts 
struck with deep consternation. The sanhedrim had 
resolved that this worker of miracles, whose fame 
was so rapidly spreading over Judea, should perish. 
They had even gone so far as to give public notice, 



192 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

that if any one knew where Christ was, he should 
make it known to the proper authorities, that he 
might be apprehended. Yet, notwithstanding this 
order had been issued, the people had risen up in 
mass, and were paying royal honors to the object 
of the rulers' malice and hatred. He whom they sup- 
posed had hidden himself away in some obscure 
cave or dark thicket, to escape the vigilance of the 
officers of government, was at that moment entering 
the city, riding at the head of a triumphal and enthu- 
siastic procession, whose songs and shouts were ring- 
ing through the streets of the ancient metropolis, and 
echoing among the mountains that are round about 
Jerusalem. In their amazement and fear, the mem- 
bers of the sanhedrim scarcely know what course to 
pursue. They would gladly seize him, who in broad 
daylight is riding through the streets. But they 
dread the popular commotion that would follow so 
rash a measure. The fear of the people held them 
back, as it had done on former occasions. They 
were obliged, therefore, to sit and listen to the swell- 
ing and stirring song : " Hosanna, blessed is the 
King that cometh in the name of the Lord.-' 

But there were some Pharisees who mingled in 
the crowd, and watched, vvith feelings of contempt 
and fear, the unusual spectacle before them. Prob- 
ably they were attracted partly by curiosity, and 
partly by a desire to stop a movement which, in their 
estimation, was the offspring of fanaticism. Having 
tried in vain other means to check the rolling tide 
and silence the multitude, they at last went to Jesus, 
and said to him : " Master, rebuke thy disciples." 



THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY. 193 

" Put an end to this unlawful demonstration and 
these seditious speeches, that endanger the state and 
disturb the public peace. Stop this excessive rejoic- 
ing and these songs of praise, and such high honors 
as only the most illustrious heroes should receive." 
Jesus, turning upon them, replied : " I tell you, that 
if these should hold their peace, the stones would 
immediately cry out." If, after such demonstrations 
of power, and such a career as he had passed through, 
the hearts of men were not moved, and strong emo- 
tions were not stnTcd within them, the very stones 
and other inanimate objects would become vocal 
with his praises. For such an exhibition of power 
and wisdom and love, the world had never before 
witnessed, and probably would never again witness. 
As there is but one sun in the heavens, so there is 
but one Saviour of mankind; but one, the light of 
whose example is brilliant and powerful enough to 
fill the whole earth. 

The Pharisees having listened to Christ's reply, 
" said among themselves. Perceive ye how ye prevail 
nothing? Behold, the world has gone after him." 
They felt that the tide of popular favor was too high 
for them to restrain it by their personal opposition, 
or by the decrees of the sanhedrim. They must wait 
for the waves to be rolled back by forces or influences 
that were not within their control. Nor w^as it long 
before the surges began to recede, and other cries 
were heard, though it is not so clear, as some have 
supposed, that they came from the same multitude. 

The hero and his mighty train having entered the 
city, the inhabitants were greatly excited, and came 
17 



194 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

forth from their houses and from the marts of busi- 
ness, and inquired, " Who is this," that comes with so 
much pomp and such demonstrations of joy ? The 
multitude replied, This is Jesus, the illustrious prophet, 
the fame of whose mighty deeds and sublime virtues 
is filling the world. Having reached the temple, and 
there again exerted his miraculous power in healing 
the blind and the lame, the very children took up the 
song and sung, " Hosanna to the Son of David." At 
this the displeasure of the chief priests and scribes 
was greatly increased. They were apparently 
shocked at what they had heard, and in astonish- 
ment they asked Jesus, "Hearest thou what these 
say ? " Is it right or proper that these children 
should apply such language to so humble and ob- 
scure a person as yourself? Jesus said unto them, 
" Have ye never read" in the Psalms of David, " Out 
of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast per- 
fected praise." If the words of prophecy were ful- 
filled in their hearing, they need not wonder nor 
complain. If, too, they were resolved to be silent, 
and to be insensible of the virtues and achievements 
of the Messiah, God might see fit to use even feeble 
instruments to express the praises of his beloved 
Son. And the condescension of the Saviour appears 
in his readiness to accept the tribute from these little 
worshippers. Doubtless the tones of those sweet 
voices lingered long in his ear, and mitigated the 
sorrow of those tragical scenes which soon followed 
this joyful triumph. 

" What are those soul-reviving strains 
"Which echo thus from Salem's plains ? 



THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY. 195 

What anthems loud, and louder still. 
So sweetly sound from Zion's hill 1 

Lo ! 'tis an infant chonis sings, 
Hosanna to the King of kings : 
The Saviour comes ! — and babes proclaim 
Salvation, sent in Jesus* name. 

'' Nor these alone their voice shall raise, 
For we will join this song of praise ; 
Still Israel's children forward press 
To hail the Lord their righteousness. 

" Proclaim, hosannas loud and clear ; 
See David's Son and Lord appear ! 
All praise on earth to him be given. 
And glory shout through highest heaven ! " 



XVI. 

CHRIST WEEPING OYER JERUSALEM. 



''And when he was come near, he beheld the city and 

W^EPT over it, saying, IF THOU HADST KNOWN, EVEN THOU, 
AT LEAST IN THIS^ THY DAY, THE THINGS WHICH BELONG 
UNTO THY PEACE : BUT NOW THEY ARE HID FROM THINE 

eyes/' — St. Luke xix. 41, 42. 

It was prophesied that the Messiah would be a 
man of sorrows and acquainted with grief: but 
there were some circumstances which filled him with 
deep anguish ; an anguish that found vent only 
through his tears. The intensity of his feelings at 
such times, no human mind can realize. Indeed, 
much of his inner life, and of the workings of his be- 
nevolent heart and earnest soul, were hid from mortal 
view. No eye could read the burning thoughts and 
deep emotions that were in the sacred breast of the 
Saviour of mankind. He viewed the world and its 
interests, man and his destiny, from a stand-point 
which no finite being can reach. In his survey of 
this theatre of human action and human responsi- 
bility, he took in a range of interests and conse- 
quences such as none but an infinite mind could 



CHRIST WEEPING OVER JERUSALEM. 197 

grasp. He saw in their fulness and solemnity the 
relations that man sustains to his Maker. He knew 
the nature and value of the human soul ; knew its 
capabilities to advance in knowledge and virtue, and 
its susceptibility to happiness or misery. He could 
see down the long track of eternity. Its splendid 
palaces and its gloomy prisons; its celestial songs 
and joys ; and the smoke of those fires that are 
never quenched, were every hour full in his view. 
He could trace the results of holiness or sin, infinitely 
further than the most profound and far reaching of 
created beings. Hence, every word that he uttered, 
and every action that he performed, were fraught 
with a meaning which baffled human comprehension. 
His teachings contain volumes of truth, the seals of 
which have not yet been broken. It is true there is 
much that is plain ; but there is more that is obscure. 
Light breaks in upon us from his sublime utterances ; 
but what is known compared with the unknown, is 
like what we see of the starry heavens, compared 
with the invisible glories beyond. These bright 
points that we call stars, are not the universe of the 
infinite God ; neither are the few doctrines that we 
gather from Christ's lips, the whole of the great sys- 
tem of moral truth. 

When, too, the Son of God weeps, there is a pro- 
found meaning in his tears. There is a depth to his 
sorrow that we cannot fathom. No ordinary calamity 
draws forth his tears. No temporary evil causes his 
sacred bosom to heave with emotion. When he 
wept at the grave of Lazarus, he doubtless had be- 
fore his vision all the tombs that were upon the ea^rth. 
17^ 



198 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

He saw the dead of many generations sleeping in 
their silent resting-places. The funeral processions 
of four thousand years passed in review before him. 
'The weeping sisters who were in the group repre- 
sented the mourners of all ages. They stood in the 
place of a vast multitude whose hearts had been 
broken. And Jesus wept, as the thought pressed 
upon him that he was in a world over which death 
Teigned; that the busy millions who had crowded 
this planet had been swept before the great destroyer, 
and that all the living were travelling towards the 
same dark, dark valley. 

As he approached Jerusalem, and reached an 
eminence that overlooked the city, a thousand asso- 
ciations and feelings rushed upon his mind. The 
very name of the city was significant, and was con- 
nected with all that is sacred in the religious history 
of God's chosen people. As he gazed upon the 
metropolis reposing in its beauty and magnificence 
amid the mountains, he thought of the extraordinary 
events and wonderful displays of divine power, of 
w^hich it had been the theatre. He recognized in it 
ihe dwelling-place of Jehovah ; the spot selected for 
the visible manifestation of the divine presence 
among men. He thought of the illustrious kings 
w^ho had occupied its palaces ; of the tribes that from 
the surrounding regions had come up to worship ; of 
the prophets, w^ho had within its walls enjoyed bright 
visions and enrapturing views of the heavenly world. 
He remembered the songs that David had sung, and 
his vivid and eloquent descriptions of the favored 
city. He would gladly have repeated the Psalmist's 



CHRIST WEEPING OVER JERUSALEM. 199 

exclamation : " Beautiful for situation, the joy of the 
whole earth is Mount Zion." He would gladly have 
responded to the call, " Walk about Zion, tell the 
towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks, con- 
sider her palaces ; that ye may tell it to the genera- 
tion following." He would gladly have continued to 
"pray for the peace of Jerusalem," and to have- 
echoed the benediction, " Peace be within thy walls 
and prosperity within thy palaces." 

But he could not exult over the city ; for he thought 
of the sins and guilt of her inhabitants, who had 
been so highly blessed by heaven. He called to mind 
the fact that they had killed the prophets, and stoned 
them that were sent unto them. His own person 
they had treated with contempt. The mighty mir- 
acles which he wrought within the city made no salu- 
tary impression upon their minds. His teachings 
they despised ; his doctrines they rejected. " He 
came unto his own, but his own received him not." 
Yet that city he loved with a devotion that never 
abated. We find him lingering around it, and seek- 
ing to instruct and save its inhabitants, notwith- 
standing their ingratitude and wickedness. He could 
say from the heart with the captive Jew, " If I forget 
thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her 
cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue 
cleave to the roof of my mouth." And as expressive 
of his intense love, we hear him exclaiming, " O Jeru- 
salem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered 
thy children together, as a hen gathereth her chickens 
under her wings, but ye would not." He desired 
above every thing else to protect them from the im- 



200 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

pending storm. He desired to see their hearts puri- 
fied ; the veil of hypocrisy torn from them ; their use- 
less formalities broken up, and the temple filled with 
sincere and devout worshippers. But, alas, they 
were about to fill up the measure of their iniquity by 
crucifying the Lord of glory; and he foresaw the 
terrible doom that awaited the city. In imagination 
he saw the armies of Titus marching against it, to 
slay its inhabitants. He saw their tents pitched, and 
the siege commenced, that proved so destructive to 
human life within the walls. He saw the fearful 
attack of the enemy ; the walls crumbling ; the 
strongest fortifications giving way ; the palaces, and 
the glorious temple itself, wrapped in flames. He 
saw the frantic inhabitants rushing from house to 
house, in the vain attempt to escape from their ene- 
mies. He saw in imagination the streets through 
which he had often walked, covered with blood, and 
he heard the cries of agony from the suffering and 
the dying. The whole scene was pictured before his 
mind as a reality, and hence his tears. Hence his 
giief, which no language can express, and no finite 
mind conceive. 

Nor was it simply the temporal ruin that was to 
befall the city which excited his sorrow. He saw 
calamities beyond the burning of palaces and the 
death of the body. While weeping, he said, " If thou 
hadst known, at least in this thy day, the things 
which belong unto thy peace ; but now they are hid 
from thine eyes." They possessed the sacred oracles, 
and had every opportunity for becoming acquainted 
with the divine character, laws, and government. 



CHRIST WEEPING OVER JERUSALEM. 201 

Repeated messages from the eternal throne had been 
sent to them. They had received supernatural evi- 
dences of the divine favor. The writings of Moses 
and the prophets were read in the hearing of all the 
people. It would seem as though the sweet Psalms 
of David would have softened their hearts, purified 
their lives, and elevated thek conceptions of religious 
truth. Under the guidance of his inspired pen, they 
might have been led into green pastures, and beside 
the still waters of salvation. They might, with him, 
have taken delight in the law of the Lord, and have 
meditated day and night upon the sublime precepts 
which had been given by the supreme legislator of 
the universe. They might, under his teachings, have 
studied the heavens, and heard the very stars declare 
the glory of God. They might have made the Lord 
their rock and their fortress ; their high tower, safe 
from the invasions of every enemy. They had the 
assurance, that as the mountains are round about 
Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about them that fear 
him. 

The sublime and glowing prophecies of Isaiah 
were enough to kindle the ardor and sustain the 
religious faith of the nation. Often they heard his 
soul-stirring cry, " Awake, awake, put on thy strength, 
O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusa- 
lem, the holy city." Often those who had wandered 
from the faith of their fathers heard the invitation : 
" Come now, let us reason together : though your sins 
be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; though 
they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." 
Whatever there was in these ancient writings, sub- 



202 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

lime in doctrine, beautiful in poetic imagery, ele- 
vating in lofty thought, and true grandeur of style, — 
whatever there was sacred in truths that had come 
from Jehovah, were so many distinct and powerful 
attractions to bind the Jews to the true religion. The 
temple itself was an enduring monument of the 
divine favor. It stood before the people, the pledge 
that there were other temples and another Jerusalem 
and a higher worship, to which they should aspii'e. 

Besides, they enjoyed the personal presence and 
instructions of the Lord of glory. They watched 
his footsteps ; gazed upon his benignant counte- 
nance; heard the words of heavenly wisdom and 
. love as they dropped from his lips ; and almost felt 
the beatings of his sympathizing heart. We have 
the records of his life, but they had the life itself. 
Yie have reports of his discourses, but they listened 
to his divine eloquence, heard the melody of his 
voice, and witnessed the glow, fervor, and earnest- 
ness with which he unfolded the great doctrines of 
life and immortality. We have the testimony that 
he "went about doing good ;" but they experienced 
his acts of charity, his tender regard for the afflicted, 
his compassion for the penitent. We have heard of 
the wonderful display of his miraculous power, but 
they saw the sick healed, the blind receiving their 
sight, the lepers restored, and the dead raised to life. 
They saw the glorious attributes of the Deity shin- 
ing through his life. They had the living Shekinah, 
God manifest in the flesh. 

Yet, notwithstanding these great spiritual advan- 
tages, they did not know the things that belonged 



CHRIST WEEPING OVER JERUSALEM. 203 

unto their peace. They knew them intellectually, 
but they did not reach their hearts, and regulate 
their conduct. Their pride, in being so highly dis- 
tinguished above other nations, destroyed all spirit- 
uality in their devotions. Faith degenerated intO' 
mere superstition. Worship became a round of 
formal rites and useless ceremonies. So apparent 
was their formalism, and so gross was their hypoc-^ 
risy, that the Saviour, with all his kindness and com- 
passion, could not at times restrain his indignation. 
" Woe unto you," said he, " scribes and Pharisees,, 
hypocrites ! for ye devour widow's houses, and for 
a pretence make long prayers. Ye pay tithe of 
mint, and anise, and cumin, and have omitted the 
weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and 
faith. Ye make clean the outside of the cup and of 
the platter, but within they are full of extortion and 
excess." And in contrast with this, when the Saviour 
thought of the moral elevation that they might have 
reached, and the character for piety, charity, and 
faith, that they might, under such advantages, have 
secured, he was fiDed with the deepest sorrow. He 
wept over the city, exclaiming, " if thou hadst known,, 
at least in this thy day, the things that belong unto 
thy peace ! " If they had but meditated upon their 
career ! if they had but realized whither their mad- 
ness was carrying them! But they were rushing 
with fearful rapidity towards the brink of destruction. 
They knew not what pertained to their peace. Their 
minds and hearts were swayed by tumultuous pas- 
sions, and carnal desires. They were making no 
preparation for that glorious rest that remaineth for 



N 



204 LIFE SCENES OE THE MESSIAH. 

the people of God. The Prince of Peace was 
among them, but they rejected his claims, despised 
his offers of mercy, and were plotting his destruction. 
With the treasures of divine truth scattered in their 
pathway, they clung to the grossest errors and most 
fatal superstitions. With the gates of heaven open, 
and with the Son of God pointing them to mansions 
in the skies, they prefer to walk the downward road 
that leadeth unto death. 

To the Saviour's exclamation he adds the words 
of fearful import, " but now they are hid from thine 
eyes." Though surrounded by celestial light, the 
guilty inhabitants of Jerusalem were virtually in the 
depths of moral darkness. They had so far blinded 
their eyes, perverted their consciences, and hardened 
their hearts, that they neither perceived nor felt the 
influence of the great truths which had been re- 
vealed to them. Their day of grace was passed. 
They had gone beyond the limits of divine forbear- 
ance. God had dealt with them in mercy and in 
judgment. He had warned, exhorted, entreated, but 
all to no purpose. Their harvest time was now passed, 
the summer of their hope was ended. " If our Gos- 
pel be hid,'' said the apostle, "it is hid to them that 
are lost, in whom the God of this world hath blinded 
the minds of them which believe not, lest the light 
of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image 
of God, should shine unto them." A more fearful 
state can scarcely be imagined, than that of a mind 
that has once been enlightened, and enjoyed high 
spiritual advantages, and afterwards blinded by the 
god of this world. It is as though the sunlight 



/T 



CHRIST WEEPING OVER JERUSALEM. 205 

should gradually be withdrawn from the earth, and 
the mantle of a perpetual darkness be thrown over 
the objects of beauty and sublimity that constitute 
the charm and grandeur of the world's scenery. 
How appalling it would be to the inhabitants of this 
globe, as they saw at the close of a certain day the 
sun sinking below the horizon, to be assured that it 
would never rise again ; that the night upon which 
they were entering would be without a morn ! How 
fearful the consequences of such a calamity ! How 
terrible the gloom as days, weeks, and months roll 
on, and yet no light! The marts of business are 
gradually hushed, and deep silence reigns through 
the streets. Trees and flowers droop, and vegetation 
begins to decay. The ships rot at the wharves, and 
their falling spars and masts sound like the knell of 
universal death. The most crowded cities become 
vast cemeteries. Death stares all in the face, and 
one after another the inhabitants drop, until the race 
becomes entirely extinct. 

But, great as would be such a calamity, what is it 
compared with the fading away of the Sun of Right- 
eousness, from a city whose benighted inhabitants 
would never again see its light ! What is the loss 
of ships, and merchandise, and earthly cities, com- 
pared with the loss of moral faculties and immortal 
hopes and heavenly joys ! What is physicaLdark- 
ness, compared with the darkness occasioned by the 
hiding of God's countenance, and the final with- 
drawal of all the means of grace ! 

The subsequent conduct of the infatuated Jews 
showed how completely their minds were blinded. 

18 



206 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

When the Saviour had been arrested, and they were 
standing before the judgment hall, how fearful was 
the imprecation they invoked, when they cried, " His 
blood be upon us and upon our children ! " How 
little did they realize the fearful import of those 
words ! How little did they think that the terrible 
imprecation would be fulfilled to the very letter, — 
that the inhabitants of the guilty city would them- 
selves be crucified by hundreds, and their children 
be scattered, and become a hissing and a byword 
among all nations ! Nothing but the most complete 
moral blindness could have allowed them to pursue 
a course fraught with so much peril and guilt. Had 
they but listened to the teachings of the Saviour, 
and learnt who it was concerning whom they cried, 
" Away with him, let him be crucified," they would 
have shrunk back with infinite horror from the deed. 
They would have hailed him as their king, loaded 
him with honors, prostrated themselves at his feet, 
and rendered to him divine worship. But their malice 
and hypocrisy were so intense, their base passions 
raged with such fury, that they could not stop to 
weigh evidence, or listen to argument, or compare 
the words pf prophecy with the life and teachings of 
the Messiah. 

This marked instance of spiritual blindness, with 
its appalling consequences, brings to our view a prin- 
ciple in the dealings of Divine Providence, of great 
moment. It is the limitation connected with the 
means of grace, as expressed in the declaration : 
" My spirit shall not always strive with man." The 
Supreme Ruler, in dealing with disobedient and way- 



CHRIST WEEPING OVER JERUSALEM. 207 

ward subjects, may send to them gracious messages, 
and display to them his mercy ; but there are limits 
to those messages and to that mercy. Truths re- 
sisted are, after a reasonable season, withdrawn. 
Motives may press to-day to the exercise of repent- 
ance and faith, but to-morrow their influence may 
not be felt. If the God of neaven is excluded from 
the soul, the god of this world will enter in, and 
blind the minds of those that believe not. Such is 
the nature of mind, that it must have some supreme 
law, and some supreme object of affection. And it 
should need no argument to prove the superiority of 
the divine law over every other. It should need no 
argument to prove, that the only suitable object of 
our highest affections is the infinite Jehovah. For 
what else in the wide universe can satisfy the long- 
ings of an immortal spirit ? What other being can 
sustain us in seasons of deep trial and oppressive 
gloom ? To whom else can we look as we enter the 
dark valley of the shadow of death ? Who but the 
omnipotent and infinitely benevolent God can fur- 
nish the soul with happiness through the ages of 
eternity! O to be able to say, "this God is om* 
God," is the highest blessing conceivable! It includes 
all that can be imagined or desked. It includes 
crowns, kingdoms, mansions, and all that is honor- 
able and glorious in the royal courts above ; includes 
the treasures of knowledge for the intellact ; sympa- 
thy and love for the heart; holiness for the spirit, 
and boundless enjoyment for the soul. The height, 
depth, length, and breadth of this blessing, no finite 
mind can measure. 



208 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

The grand object of Christ's advent was, to restore 
man to his allegiance to his Maker. For this he 
toiled, suffered, and died. For this he taught in the 
streets of Jerusalem, and worked his miracles, and 
performed his deeds of charity. But that city was 
too far sunk in iniquity to be recovered. Its inhabi- 
tants had wandered too far from truth and duty to 
be brought back. 



XVII. 

DESCRIPTION OF THE LAST JUDGMENT. 



"When the son of man shall come in his glory, and all 
the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the 
throne of his glory : and before hi3i shall be gathered 
all nations : and he shall separate them one from an- 
other, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats; 
and he shall set his sheep on his right hand, but the 

GOATS ON THE LEFT." — St. Matthew XXV. 31-33. 

We have in these and the following passages, a 
description of the last judgment, given by the Judge 
himself. Although, at the time of their utterance, 
Christ was in circumstances of humiliation and sor- 
row, yet he predicted that the day would come when 
the Son of man would appear in his glory, attended 
by all the holy angels, and would take his seat upon 
the throne of the universe. Before him would be 
gathered the countless millions of all ranks and con- 
ditions of men, who have trod upon this planet, and 
acted their part upon this theatre of human life. 
Those that sleep in the quiet churchyard ; those who 
have fallen upon the battle field ; the multitudes who 
rest in the coral caverns of the ocean, will, at the 

18* 



210 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

sound of the last trump, come forth. At the same 
moment " the sun shall be darkened, and the moon 
shall not give her light ; the stars shall fall ; " '' the 
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the 
elements shall melt with fervent heat ; the earth also, 
and the works therein, shall be burnt up." St. John, 
while an exile upon the wild and barren isle of Pat- 
mos, had a vision of the judgment scene, which he 
thus describes : " I saw a great white thronCj and 
him that sat on it ; from whose face the earth and 
the heaven fled away ; and there was found no place 
for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, 
stand before God ; and the books were opened ; and 
another book was opened, which is the Book of Life ; 
and the dead were judged out of those things which 
were written in the books, according to their works." 
In entering upon this theme, I confess that my 
mind is oppressed with a deep feeling of awe and 
solemnity. The greatness of the occasion that will 
assemble the whole human family before such a tri- 
bunal, — the fearful majesty and power of the great 
Judge, — the hopes and fears that will agitate mill- 
ions of hearts, — the tremendous results of the decis- 
ions of that day, viewed only in imagination, hang 
as an awful cloud over my spirit. If there is but a 
possibility, that from that cloud the thunders of divine 
WTath may one day be heard, and the lightning flash 
of God's indignation strike the offender, that possi- 
bility is enough to solemnize and awaken anxiety in 
every mind. O, if there is a subject in reference to 
which we would ask with earnestness, " What is 
truth ? " is it with regard to the transactions and 



DESCRIPTION OF THE LAST JUDGMENT. 211 

results of the judgment-day? For this day brings 
before us the crisis in our existence ; the point 
towards which the influence of every thought, word, 
and deed tends, and from which will date the fixed 
character and eternal destiny of every soul. 

The answer to the question which we have pro- 
posed, is alone to be found in the teachings of him 
who has declared himself. to be "the way, the truth, 
and the life." It is in vain to depend upon reason, 
or philosophy, or any system of human ethics or 
theology. We must accept the authority of him 
who came into the world, " to bear witness unto the 
truth." And he has affirmed that he will come in 
his glory, attended with the insignia and messengers 
of his power, to judge the world, and to render to 
every man according to his deeds. 

In meditating upon this day, let us consider, in the 
first place ^ the necessity of its appointment. This 
necessity grows out of the relations that fallen man 
sustains to his Maker. Having violated the laws of 
the divine moral government, and incurred the dis- 
pleasure of an infinitely holy and benevolent Deity, 
it becomes necessary that the transgressor should be 
summoned before a suitable tribunal, to answer for 
the wrongs of which he has been guilty. In con- 
ceiving of any system of government established 
over sentient beings, we naturally include the judi- 
cial element as essential to its harmony and perfec- 
tion. Laws must not only be framed and promul- 
gated, but they must be enforced upon the principles 
of right and justice. A human government without 
tribunals before which to bring the offender, and 



212 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

without an executive force to maintain the laws, 
would be virtually no government. Civilized soci- 
ety, in order to maintain order and perpetuate its 
civilization, must have certain established principles 
of action, to which the subjects of government must 
conform. This is obviously essential to the comfort 
and happiness of the community. And what is nec- 
essary in order to attain the ends of the social com- 
pact in every nation, even the smallest upon the 
earth, is much more necessary in a kingdom that 
stretches over millions of worlds, and includes 
within its boundaries countless multitudes of think- 
ing and responsible beings. If a human government 
cannot exist without its judiciary department, much 
more cannot the divine government, which is so inti- 
mately connected with the stability of God's throne, 
the glory of his character, and the welfare and hap- 
piness of all his moral creatures. The Almighty 
does not sit upon his throne simply to give advice to 
his subjects. He has not framed a government 
merely to make a show of authority before his moral 
creation. He does not unfold to us the great pur- 
poses of his administration, with the design of one 
day abandoning those purposes, and allowing them 
to come to naught. Reason as well as revelation 
teaches us, that the purposes of an infinitely wise 
and holy Being must be fulfilled, — that his authority 
and throne must be sustained, though the heavens 
and the earth pass away. Let the authority of 
Jehovah be in any way impaired, or let him fail of 
enforcing his laws, and the great ends for which he 
has created a moral kingdom will be sooner or later 



BESCRIPTIOK OF THE LAST JUDGMENT. 213 

defeated. These ends are his own highest glory, and 
the supreme happiness of his creatures, and one is 
just as dependent for its accomplishment, upon obe- 
dience, as the other. 

Many may think that the laws of God are arbi- 
trary, and are unnecessarily rigid and severe. But 
instead of being arbitrary, they grow necessarily out 
of the nature and constitution of a moral kingdom. 
Were there no King upon the throne of heaven, and 
were these worlds and their inhabitants to continue 
in their present condition, there would be the same 
necessity that there now is for the moral laws which 
have been instituted for our government ; for without 
them order and happiness could not be maintained 
for a single day. 

It is true that the divine government is now ad- 
ministered over us, under an economy of grace. It 
is true that the sentence against an evil work is not 
executed speedily. But justice may be suspended 
without being annihilated. God may, through the 
atoning sacrifice which Christ has made, show mercy. 
He may, in the plenitude of his love, make offers of 
pardon to those who have rebelled against him, on 
the condition that they exercise repentance and faith. 
But there are a multitude of passages in the holy 
Scriptures, which warn men against being deluded 
by the idea, that, because God is a being of compas- 
sion and longsuffering, therefore justice and judgment 
are not the habitation of his throne. It is true that 
infinite mercy is an element of his character. It is 
true that he has sworn, as he lives, that he takes no 
pleasure in the death of the wicked, but had rather 



214 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

that they should turn and live. Indeed, he is represent- 
ed with the warmth and earnestness of an affectionate 
father, as calling after his wayward children, " Turn 
ye, turn ye, for why will ye die." In the parable of the 
prodigal son, we have a most striking and vivid repre- 
sentation of the feelings of Jehovah, towards those 
who have wandered from him. Though they return 
to him poor, naked, destitute, and in want of all 
things, he is ready to receive them, to embrace them, 
to rejoice over their return, to place at their disposal 
the riches of his kingdom. Yet he cannot and will not 
compromise a single principle which lies at the basis 
of his moral" system. Those principles are as immu- 
table as his own character, and eternal as his throne. 
We would in the next place inquire into the man- 
ner in which the examinations of the judgment-day 
will be conducted, and the principles which will con- 
stitute the basis of its decisions. The Scriptures 
inform us that " God will bring every work into 
judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be 
good or whether it be evil." Also, " Every idle word 
that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof 
in the day of judgment." By this language, we are 
taught that the thoughts and motives, as well as the 
external acts, will pass under the inspection of the 
omniscient eye. Every thing that affects, or relates 
to the character, will be an object of examination, 
and its bearings upon the soul's destiny, will be seen 
by the individual, as well as by the Judge. Nor will 
it be so difficult to bring the events and thoughts of 
a long life under review, as some may suppose. For 
in this life we know that the mind, under certain cir- 



DESCRIPTION OF THE LAST JUDGMENT. 215 

cumstances, as for instance, under the apprehension 
of sudden death, is wonderfully quickened ; and nu- 
merous instances have occurred where the power of 
the memory was so great, as to bring before one in 
a most vivid light, the whole of his past life. A 
drowning person, who has afterwards been resusci- 
tated, has experienced this in a most remarkable 
manner. Event has followed event with the rapidity 
of lightning. Even those that had long been forgot- 
ten, come before the mind with as much freshness, 
as though they had occurred but yesterday. Many 
persons, who have lived in a state of alienation from 
God, having stifled convictions of duty, and despised 
the doctrines and precepts of the Christian faith, 
have, with the prospect of death before them, felt in 
anticipation the tremendous pressure of the transac- 
tions of the judgment-day. With conscience as the 
accuser, and the wicked deeds of a wasted life as 
witnesses, and the reason as the judge, and the light 
of eternity breaking in upon the character, the sin- 
ner has been forced to look at the evidence, and 
almost hear the dread sentence pronounced against 
him. And if in this life the mind can become so 
quickened, as to recall with such rapidity the events 
and deeds of the past, how much more will its pow^ 
ers be increased, when it becomes disengaged from 
the body, and moves in a spiritual sphere, where all 
the influences tend to stimulate it to the most intense 
action. 

But independently of the capabilities of the mem- 
ory, an Almighty being has the power of bringing 
instantly before each subject a history of the past 



216 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

life that will enter into the minutest details, and 
bring to light all the motives, feelings, and purposes, 
of which the individual has ever been conscious. He 
who created the human intellect is familiar with all 
the avenues that lead to it, and with all the springs 
and chords of association that are connected with 
the memory and consciousness ; so that he can easily 
bring every work into judgment with every secret 
thing. 

But not only will the character undergo a careful 
inspection, but also all the influences and circum- 
stances that have contributed to its formation. The 
condition in childhood and youth, the early bias 
given to the mind, the moral and intellectual advan- 
tages which have been enjoyed, will all be taken into 
the account. The basis of judgment with the heathen 
will obviously be far different from that which will 
be adopted in the case of those who have enjoyed the 
light and blessings of the gospel. Those who have 
sinned without the divine law, and especially with- 
out the precepts and motives of the gospel, will be 
judged without the law. The cities which Christ 
visited, and where he wrought his mighty works, 
were placed on a far different footing from those 
which, in ancient times, had not enjoyed the benefit 
of his instructions and miracles. In Capernaum, 
Chorazin, and Bethsaida, the responsibility of the 
inhabitants was immensely increased by what Christ 
had done for them. In view of their impenitence 
and guilt, he said unto them, " It shall be more toler- 
able for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, 
than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art 



DESCRIPTION OF THE LAST JUDGMENT. 217 

exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell :: 
for if the mighty works w^hich have been done in 
thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have re- 
mained until this day. But I say unto you, it shaE 
be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day 
of judgment than for thee." 

These declarations bring vividly before us the 
great fact, or principle, in the divine administration, 
that there is uniformly an increase of responsibility 
with an increase of light; and that our privileges 
and circumstances will enter largely into the evi- 
dences that will constitute the basis of the decisions 
of the judgment-day. Probably the rigid principle 
of justice will require that every shade of advantage 
or disadvantage, shall bear upon the deliberations of 
that solemn occasion. The child of vicious or infi- 
del parents will stand in a far different light from 
one who has had the advantages of an early religious 
culture, who has been taught to exercise reverence 
towards God, and love towards the Saviour. Those 
who appear before that tribunal, after having abused 
the most tender and exalted religious privileges, and 
slighted the most faithful warnings, and resisted the 
influences of earnest prayers, and the strivings of the 
Spkit, will see even the inhabitants of Sodom and 
Gomorrah entering heaven, before they gain admis* 
sion. It is a terrible thought to conceive of any as 
being excluded from the abodes of the blessed. But 
is it not also a terrible thing that any, in the midst 
of gospel light and the highest religious advantages,, 
should trample underfoot the Son of God, and do> 
despite to the spirit of grace? Is it not a terrible 
19 



218 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

thing, that wrong, injustice, cruelty, and oppression 
should exist, where all the influences and precepts of 
religion teach the very opposite principles ? If my 
emotions are excited at a view of some of the conse- 
quences that will follow the judgment-day, they are 
also strongly excited at a view of those awful forms 
of sin, that render such a judgment necessary, and 
such consequences inevitable. For it cannot be de- 
nied, that there are evils and forms of wickedness, 
the permission of which would be to us an inex- 
plicable mystery, were we not assured that Christ 
has appointed a day in which he will judge the 
world, and render to every man according to his; 
deeds. 

The basis of judgment w^hich is laid down by our 
Saviour, in his description of the last great day, is 
w^orthy of our special attention. In extending his 
welcome to the righteous, he is represented as saying, 
" For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat ; I 
was thirsty, and ye gave me drink ; I was a stranger, 
and ye took me in," etc. And in uttering the sen- 
tence, " Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire," he 
adds, " For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no 
meat ; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink ; I 
was a stranger, and ye took me not in ; naked, and 
ye clothed me not ; sick and in prison, and ye visited 
me not." Then, in explanation, he declares, that he 
is represented in every disciple that is the recipi- 
ent of kindness, or the object of neglect. To my 
mind, there is a significant meaning in these utter- 
ances, that are to accompany the decisions that will 
be made at the judgment-day. They teach directly 



DESCRIPTION OF THE LAST JUDGMENT. 219 

the necessity of the principle of benevolence in those 
who will be at last admitted to the mansions of 
glory. "We need, it is true, to be sound in the faith. 
We need to have a wellgrounded hope. But if we 
appear before the judgment-seat with faith, hope, and 
charity, we shall hear the announcement, " the great- 
est of these is charity." Our system of belief may 
be ably prepared, and may be carefully expressed in 
the most precise and unexceptionable language ; it 
may be defended with logical skill and irresistible 
argument, and yet, unless it yields the fruits of the 
spnit, — love, peace, gentleness, and kindness, — it 
will be of little service to us here, and will avail us 
nothing when called to stand before the judgment- 
seat of Christ. We would have men contend ear- 
nestly for the faith once delivered to the saints, but 
we would also have them remember, that faith with- 
out works is dead, and that he who has not the spirit 
of Christ is none of his. I am aware that there are 
persons in some denominations, full of zeal for the 
mint, anise, and cumin of religion, and for rigidness 
in the external forms and authorized formularies of 
their faith, who sit in judgment upon those who dif- 
fer from them in non-essentials, and are ready enough, 
upon the most trivial grounds, to pronounce sentence 
of condemnation. But I apprehend that many of 
these human judgments will be, at the supreme tri- 
bunal, reversed, and that men will find that Christ, 
and he alone, has laid down the principles that will 
constitute the basis of the decisions of that day. 

But we hasten to speak of the results of the sol- 
emn transactions of that occasion. We are informed 



220 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

that the vast multitude that will be collected before 
the judgment-seat, will be divided into two classes. 
To those on the right hand the King will say, 
" Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the king- 
dom prepared for you from the foundation of the 
world." " Then shall he say also to them on the 
left. Depart from me, ye cursed, unto everlasting 
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." To the 
righteous, the day will be one of triumph, of reward, 
of rapture. It will be the glorious termination of a 
career of toil and self-denial, of ardent hopes and 
fearful doubts. The saint will feel that now the 
great question of existence is settled. The battle 
with temptation, unbelief, and the world, has been 
fought, and heaven has been won. Oh, with what 
indescribable delight will the multitudes of the re- 
deemed listen to those precious words as they fall 
upon the ear : " Come, ye blessed of my Father." 
Come to a kingdom, rich in every pleasure and 
honor, abounding in treasures that can never perish, 
in joys that can never fade, in honors that are im- 
mortal. Come to a kingdom prepared for you from 
the foundation of the world. The nature and glory 
of a kingdom upon which the Deity has been for 
ages expending his infinite wisdom and power, obvi- 
ously surpasses all human comprehension. We can 
only exclaim, " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither have entered into the heart of man the 
things which God hath prepared for them that love 
him." 

But there is another sentence pronounced at this 
dread tribunal, — a sentence that fixes the destiny of 



DESCRIPTION OF THE LAST JUDGMENT. 221 

other immortal souls, — a sentence, every word of 
which will fall as a thunderbolt upon the con- 
demned sinner. What volumes of awful meaning 
are compressed within that one word, " Depart I " 
Depart from what ? From God, — from heaven, — 
from all holy society, — from all hope ! Depart, — 
never, never to return ! Can a human mind, under 
such ch'cumstances, listen to this word and retain its 
consciousness ? It would seem enough to annihilate 
every guilty auditor. 

Is it not a solemn thought, and one that should 
arouse the careless, that we are all every day prepar- 
ing for the judgment? Our words and deeds are 
every hour travelling before us to meet us at that 
solemn tribunal. The Christian is preparing for it 
by his devotions, prayers, faith, and charities. The 
sinner is preparing for that day. The vicious man, 
the infidel, the inebriate, the blasphemer, are all 
making a terrible preparation. The miser, who clings 
to gold as his God, is hastening to the judgment. 
The fraudulent man, who is quietly and successfully 
carrying on his systems of deception, is preparing for 
his trial. The military leader, who cruelly sacrifices 
human life, will be called to render in his account. 
The cruel taskmaster, who crushes to the dust his 
fellow man, is hastening to the tribunal of the Su 
preme Master, who will render to every man accord 
ing to Ms deeds. 

19* 



XVIIL 



CELEBEATION OF THE PASSOVER. 



"This do in remembrance of me." — St. Luke xxii. 19. 

These words fell from the Saviour's lips under 
circumstances of thrilling interest. His eventful life 
upon the earth was drawing to a close. A series of 
dangers and tragedies were to terminate in one great 
tragedy. From his faithful disciples, who had shared 
in his toils, he was soon to be separated. This was 
his last supper with them. A small gathering, and 
an insignificant occasion in the world's estimation. 
Yet in reality a scene of greater moment than the 
most costly and luxurious feasts ever held in palaces, 
or graced by the presence of princes! True, the 
table is simple, the guests are of humble origin, the 
master of the feast presides over an entertainment 
consisting only of bread and wine ; yet there is a 
royalty here, and a power, that the world will one 
day recognize and acknowledge. There are heroes 
here, whose names and achievements will be remem- 
bered, long after the names of kings and nobles are 
forgotten. On this occasion, they make no eloquent 



CELEBRATION OF THE PASSOVER. 223 

discourses, or joyous utterances. For the crucifixion 
is so near, that its shadow falls upon the scene, giv- 
ing to it a sad and melancholy aspect. In the gi'oup 
there is one false heart, — one spirit not in unison 
with the rest, — a spirit that is plotting evil. In this 
upper room, not only have the holiness and benevo- 
lence of heaven their representatives, but human 
depravity in its worst form has its representative. 
Loyalty and treason, love and avarice, meet at the 
same table. The Master of the feast, as he breaks 
the bread, and passes around the cup, utters but one 
wish, — gives but one command. " This do in re- 
membrance of me." And the command was given 
not to the twelve only, but to all his faithful follow- 
ers down to the end of time. The Saviom* designed 
this supper as a perpetual monument, dedicated to 
his memory; as a means of sphitual communion 
with himself; as a type of that great feast which he 
is preparing for his friends in his Father's kingdom. 
What the ancient dispensation was to the new and 
more spiritual system, — what the Shekinah in the 
temple was to the presence-chamber of heaven's 
King, this rite is to the joys and worship of a celes- 
tial state of being. 

We would consider some of the prominent fea- 
tures in the history of Christ, which this ordinance 
should impress upon the memory. 

The topic most prominent at the table with his 
disciples, was the sufferings that were just before 
him. The very elements were impregnated, as it 
were, with the tragical scenes that were about to 
open upon Calvary. The broken bread represented 



224 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

his mangled body, the wine his blood that was to be 
shed. Death was in the feast ; but a death that was 
to give life to the world, — a death through which 
the grave and hell were to be conquered. And as 
Christ knew that at the time of his arrest and cruci- 
fixion, his disciples would be alarmed and scattered, 
he desired to fasten the event upon their memory, by 
associating it with this interesting rite. " With de- 
su'c," said he, " have I desired to eat this passover 
with you before I suffer ; for I say unto you, I w^ill 
not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the 
kingdom of God." 

Their next meeting would be at another feast, 
when the trials and hazards of this life would be 
over, and when the glories of the everlasting king- 
dom would open upon their view. And to prepare 
them for that scene, he desired that they should hold 
in remembrance the great fact of his sufferings and 
death. He wished to have it kept constantly before 
their minds, to sustain their faith, and comfort them 
with the assurance that a full and complete atone- 
ment had been made for them. In seasons of doubt 
and perplexity, he would have their eyes rest upon 
the cross. When tempted to yield to despondency, 
they were to remember that their great Master was 
numbered with transgressors. When called to enter 
the dark valley of death, they were to remember that 
the footprints of the Lord of glory were impressed 
upon that valley. And the great fact in the world's 
history, to the whole church, and to all mankind, is 
the atoning sacrifice of Christ. This looms up above 
all others, — stands out by itself as the sun in the 



CELEBRATION OF THE PASSOVER. 225 

heavens, shedding light upon all other events, illumi- 
nating every pathway of life ; carrying hope to the 
despairing, joy to the sorrowing. It is the great fact 
of theology, of history, of moral science. It reveals 
the love and mercy of the Deity more intensely than 
any other divine manifestation. And just before en- 
tering upon his last great work, just before descend- 
ing into the deep chasm that separates this earth 
from the spirit world, he met his disciples to comfort 
them, and to receive from them the pledge that he 
should be remembered. And how deeply he pene- 
trated the darkness and gloom of that grief, no finite 
mind can answer. From its depths we know that 
even the light of heaven was excluded, for from the 
sufferer went forth the agonizing cry, " My God, my 
God, why hast thou forsaken me ? " But now is that 
chasm bridged over, and faith may travel on it, ex- 
claiming in triumph, " Oh death, where is thy sting ! 
oh grave, where is thy victory ! " On the other side, 
the pUgrim may descry a celestial light overhanging 
the paradise of God. In the distance may be dimly 
seen the outlines of lofty towers, of gorgeous pal- 
aces, of cities that have foundations wJiose builder is 
God. 

The bearing, therefore, of the sufferings of Jesus 
upon man's immortal interests, is the great feature to 
be held in remembrance. And in proportion to the 
light shed upon this subject, do we feel a sense of 
moral obligation, of duties to be performed, of dan- 
gers in the future to escape, and of rewards to 
secure. Out of the idea of a future life, and desire 
for it, grow all religions, true and false, heathen and 



226 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

Christian. Paganism is but a feeling after a knowl- 
edge of a state of existence beyond the grave. 
Mahometanism is grafted upon the longings of the 
human soul for immortal happiness. 

Now the scheme of redemption, with the revela- 
tions made by its author, clear up the mysteries of 
death to every mind that will exercise faith. " He 
that believeth in me/' said Christ, "shall never die.' ^ 
Shall never die ! How^ full of meaning is this utter- 
ance ! How is the gloom of the sick chamber, and 
the sadness of parting with friends, and the anguish 
of apparent dissolution, dissipated by it! Death the 
beginning of another life, pure, glorious, immortal ! 

Another fact to be remembered in connection with 
the holy supper^ is the divine character of the Master 
of the feast. This do in remembrance of me. Of 
whom ? A fellow-mortal ? So say some who would 
rob him of the glory that he had with the Father 
before the world was. An angel ? But the com- 
mand has gone forth, " Let all the angels of God 
worship him." A created being of the highest 
order ? But we are told that " by him were all things 
created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, vis- 
ible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or domin- 
ions, or principalities, or powers." Taking, then, the 
Bible as our authority, w^e are driven to the conclu- 
sion that he who instituted the supper, and wrought 
out man's salvation, is none other than a divine 
being, — the second person of the glorious Trinity. 
To be remembered, therefore, includes a cordial 
recognition of his divinity, — an acknowledgment 
that he is the coequal Son of the Father. It is true, 



CELEBRATION OF THE PASSOVER. 227 

that when we attempt to analyze our conceptions of 
a divine being, the mind is lost in the vastness and 
profound mystery of the idea. At every effort, the 
inquiry comes up to us from the depths of infinity, 
'* Who by searching can find out God, v/ho can find 
out the Almighty unto perfection ? " We may run 
along the lines of thought over which inspned men 
have travelled; we may sit at the feet of Jesus, and 
ponder over his utterances, " I and my Father are 
one," — "Before Abraham was I am;" w^e may 
traverse the works of creation and endeavor to form 
a conception of the power that called such magnifi- 
cence into being out of nothing ; that rolled the 
planets in their orbits, and clothed the suns with 
such splendor, and worlds wdth so rich a drapery of 
flowers, and changing forests and variegated ver- 
dure ; we may bow the knee in prayer, and, shutting 
out the cares and vanities of life, plead for new and 
inspiring views of the Deity, and the prayer may be 
answered to the extent of our ability to comprehend 
God, and yet the reality will be at an infinite dis- 
tance from us. Our conceptions are imperfect, dim, 
shadowy. The eternal throne is high above the 
stars, surrounded by glories too dazzling for human 
vision. The "splendors of the celestial court no mor- 
tal eyes can gaze upon. Much less can the essence 
of Deity be penetrated by any finite mind. We 
acknowledge, that of all mysteries the mystery of 
the divine existence is the greatest. Were all others 
explored and understood, this would remain. We 
might solve all questions in science and philoso- 
phy, — reconcile the apparently conflicting doctrines 



228 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

in ethics, — measure the distances of the fixed 
stars, the extent of the universe, — read with a 
prophetic eye the history of the futnre, and yet the 
mysteries of the divine being would remain un- 
fathomed. 

But all this should not deter us from striving after 
the most vivid and exalted views of the Deity, that 
are within the reach of finite powers. For our con- 
ceptions of the Godhead necessarily give a coloring 
to all our moral and religious views. Our thought 
of God is the centre of our moral system, around 
which our doctrines, opinions, and feelings revolve. 

In remembering Christ, we are not only to call to 
mind his divinity, but the peculiar features of the 
divine character which he made the most prominent. 
As a complete revelation could not be made, those 
points were selected which bore most directly upon 
man's welfare. The divine love was conspicuous in 
the Saviour's history. This shone forth from all his 
words and deeds. It illumined his pathway from 
the manger to the cross. Upon Calvary it culmina- 
ted, and thence spread over Jerusalem and Judea, 
and is destined to encircle the earth with its benign 
influence. The wisdom of the Godhead was also 
displayed in the conception and execution of the 
plan of redemption, — a plan so eminently adapted 
to man's necessities, and to the claims of the divine 
government. 

As the friends of Christ, therefore, we should 
meditate upon his divine nature and attributes, — 
meditate upon them until they become, so to speak, 
a part of our own spiritual nature. By dwelling 



CELEBRATION OF THE PASSOVER. 229' 

upon them, our religious life will be quickened, and 
the Christian will grow up " unto a perfect man„ 
unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of 
Christ." Feeding upon them will give sti'ength to 
the weak, courage to the desponding. It will enable 
the departing saint to shout, " I know that my Re- 
deemer liveth ! " I know that he is able to save unto) 
the uttermost all that shall come to him. 

We lose much by the neglect of religious medita- 
tion. We allow the cares of the world to absorb 
our thoughts, and crowd out these mighty and soul 
inspiring themes. We are content to feed on husks, 
when a spiritual feast is provided in our Father's 
house. We are satisfied with the grovelling pleas- 
ures of earth, when, by a spiritual connection with 
Christ, we may partake of the blessedness of his- 
divine nature, and be thrilled by those joys that are 
the portion of celestial intelligences. 

In connection with the celebration of the Last Sup- 
per, we are also to remember the instructions of 
Christ. 

It is true that he did not unfold in regular order, a 
system of theology. He established no school of 
moral science for the exclusive instruction of the 
refined and intellectual. He rather availed himself 
of opportunities, as they occurred, from day to day, 
to unlock his treasures. At suitable times, he scat- 
ters broadcast over society his great doctrines, leav- 
ing to others the work of gathering them up, and 
recording them for the benefit of mankind. He 
dropped truths by the wayside, in the lonely cottage, 
when conversing with the penitent, or consoling the 

20 



230 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

afflicted, or comforting the dying. His system was 
like nature, the storehouse of his imagery, irregular 
though beautiful ; sublime like the mountains piled 
together ; pure as the sunlight ; fresh as the dew, and 
variegated as the scenery and the flowers of sum- 
mer. And in this form it was best adapted to the 
mass of mankind. Had he taught in a dry, scholas- 
tic style, but few would have listened to him. Had 
he established seats of learning, only certain privi- 
leged classes would have received his instructions. 
But as his object was to enable the whole world to 
reap the benefit of his teachings, he went out into 
the open air, under the broad canopy of heaven, and 
addressed the multitude. He placed himself in sym- 
pathetic connection with the human heart in its 
varied circumstances of want and sorrow. He pre- 
sented truth under striking images and emblems, in 
order that their beauty and force might be readily 
appreciated by all his hearers. He himself was the 
light of the world. His salvation was a fountain of 
living waters, to which all who thirsted were invited. 
His Father was the great Shepherd who loved and 
would protect his flock. 

These teachings, also, should be remembered with 
implicit confidence in their truth. If they have 
passed satisfactorily the test of every trial to which 
they have been submitted ; if they accord with the 
dictates of enlightened reason, and the previous rev- 
elation of the divine will ; if beside the internal evi- 
dence of their truth, they are supported by miracles 
and fulfilled prophecies, and by the holy life of their 
Author, we are bound to receive them. If such 



CELEBRATION OF THE PASSOVER. 231 

proofs as these cannot be relied upon, I would ask, 
what force is there in any evidences that may be 
brought to bear upon a system of moral truth ? 

The most vital questions in ethics and theology, 
the Great Teacher has settled ; and his true follow- 
ers will not spend their lives in agitating these ques- 
tions, and in laying over and over again the founda- 
tions of their faith. But, regarding this foundation 
as forever settled, they will go on with the spiritual 
structure, and attempt to realize the idea of the apos- 
tle, when he says, " Ye are the temple of the living 
God." While others make no progress for the want 
of faith in the first principles of the Gospel, the true 
believer will advance in moral truth. One doctrine 
after another will open before his view. His facul- 
ties will expand and be capable of grasping greater 
truths. The soul will feel enriched by its treasures, 
and being godlike in its pursuits, it will be godlike 
in its happiness. If the study of the works of na- 
ture and the discovery of her hidden laws, is attend- 
ed with pleasure, — if the astronomer delights to 
wander amid the stars, and view the harmony and 
splendor of the heavenly bodies, how much more 
glorious is it to walk amid the grandeurs of moral 
truth, to read the laws which have been instituted 
for the government and happiness of the moral uni- 
verse. 

Oh, if in remembering Christ we could remember 
all the sublime truths that he uttered, — all the pre- 
cious promises that he made to those who should be 
faithful to him unto death ; could we live, and move, 
and have our spiritual being in these glorious themes, 



232 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

a new existence would open before us. Fresh foun- 
tains of delight would spring up in the soul. We 
should be ready to exclaim with the apostle, " Yea, 
and I count all things as loss for the excellency of 
the knowledge of Christ my Lord." " Forgetting 
those things which are behind, and reaching forth 
unto those things which are before, I press toward 
the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in 
Christ Jesus." Oh, this would be life, — a life above 
the vanities of earth, — above the frowns or applause 
of the world, — a life unaffected by the sorrows or 
the joys of earth, — a life mingling in with the life 
of Christ, and flowing on with the progress of his 
glorious kingdom. 

But this remembrance of Christ, in order to fully 
meet the Saviour's exhortation, must not only have 
regard to the prominent features of his life and char- 
acter, but must also call into exercise the strongest 
and tenderest emotions of the soul. We are bound 
to remember Christ with the highest admiration, 
with the warmest gratitude and most intense love. 
There are a thousand objects in nature, in the beau- 
ties and splendors with which the earth is decorated, 
in the changing seasons, in the storm and the sun- 
shine, to excite our admiration. We regard with 
admiration the career of distinguished heroes, the 
growth and achievements of nations, the progress of 
science, art, literature. But what is there in all 
these to awaken our enthusiasm compared with the 
glory of the Saviour's career ? What is there to fill 
the soul with adAiiration, compared with the history, 
character, and achievements of the Son of God? 



CELEBRATION OF THE PASSOVER. 233 

Behold him as the Great Physician in the streets of 
Jerusalem, — as a teacher in the temple, — as a 
preacher upon the mount, — as a sufferer in Geth- 
semane, — as the Redeemer upon the cross, and say 
if his character from every point of view does not 
command our admiration and love ? Shall we cling 
to the frozen forms of religion, when we have before 
us a Saviour so full of vitality, beauty, glory, and life- 
giving power ? Can we at any time forget the debt 
of gratitude that we owe to this infinite benefactor ? 
No words, indeed, can express the obligation that we 
are under to Jesus. We must wait until our powers 
are developed in the heavenly world, before we can 
approximate towards an expression of it. For all that 
we are, and all that we hope to be, we are indebted 
to Christ. He alone has disarmed death of its ter- 
rors, and conquered our spiritual foes. He enables 
us to enter the dark valley with composure, and 
strengthens us with the sweet utterance, " Fear not, 
for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy 
helper.'^ 

20* 



XIX. 

AGONY IN GETHSEMANE. 



*'And he fell on his face, and prated, saying, o my 
father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me ; 
nevertheless, not as i will, but as thou wilt." mat- 
thew XX vi. 39. ■ 

" The moon was shining yet. The orient's brow, 
Set with the morning star, was not yet dim ; 
And the deep silence which subdues the breath 
Like a strong feeling, hung upon the world 
As sleep upon the pulses of a child. 
'Twas the last watch of night. Gethsemane, 
With its bathed leaves of silver, seem'd dissolved 
In visible stillness ; and as Jesus' voice, 
With its bewildering sweetness, met the ear 
Of his disciples, it vibrated on 
Like the first whisper in a silent world. 
They came on slowly. Heaviness oppressed 
The Saviour's heart, and when the kindnesses 
Of his deep love were pour'd, he felt the need 
Of near communion, for his gift of strength 
Was wasted by the spirit's weariness. 
He left them there and went a little on. 
And in the depth of that hush'd silentness, 
Alone with God, he fell upon his face. 
And as his heart was broken with the rush 



AGONY IN GETHSEMANE. 235 

Of his surpassing agony, and death, 

Wrung to him from a dying universe, 

AYas mightier than the Son of man could bear, 

He gave his sorrows way — and in the deep 

Prostration of his soul, breathed out the prayer, 

* Father, if it be possible with thee, 

Let this cup pass from me.' " 



This remarkable prayer opens a scene of mel- 
ancholy interest. The passover had been cele- 
brated. The Saviour had delivered his farewell 
discourse, — a discourse full of rich consolations and 
glorious hopes. The hour was late as he left the 
city with his chosen friends, and bent his footsteps 
towards the garden of Gethsemane. The shadows 
of night were falling upon the walls, temple, and 
streets of Jerusalem ; but deeper and darker shadows 
were falling upon the spirit of Jesus. He knew 
what was before him. He knew the awful nature 
of the tragedy which on that night was to open. 
Passing the gate, now called Stephen's gate, which 
was nearest to the temple walls on the north, he 
crossed the brook of Ced^on, and sought in the se- 
clusion of Gethsemane^ preparation of heart for the 
trials that were before him. This garden was a 
retired spot, situated at the foot of the Mount of 
Olives, and was the favorite resort of Christ for 
meditation and prayer. After the toils of the day^ 
he would often spend the whole night there in the 
open air, dividing the hours between rest and com- 
munion with the Father. Having reached the gar- 
den, he took apart with him Peter, James, and John, 
the beloved disciples, that they might be the honored 



236 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

witnesses of his prayers and conflicts. The same 
who were with him upon the mount of transfigura- 
tion, and beheld the glories of that scene, and heard 
voices from the celestial world, were now admitted 
to the dark chamber of the Saviour's sufferings. 
They had followed their Master in his journeys to 
the cities and villages of Judea ; had witnessed his 
rmracles, — - listened to his eloquent and heart-search- 
ing discourses, — been his companions in his joys 
and sorrows. But no scene of such thrilling and 
overpowering interest had fallen under their observa- 
tion, as that of which this memorable garden was 
the theatre. There were sorrows here, and profound 
mysteries, and agonizing prayers, and a baptism of 
tears and blood, that were calculated to excite the 
most intense and conflicting emotions. 

In meditating upon this scene, the prominent 
points that present themselves for our consideration, 
are the agony of Christ, his destitution of the sym- 
pathy of his disciples, and his entire submission to 
the will of his Father. 

From the nature of the case, we cannot expect 
from the Evangelists so full and accurate an account 
of what transpired on this occasion, as on others 
that were more calm, and afforded greater facilities 
for being reported. The night was dark ; the disci- 
ples were extremely weary ; and their minds must' 
have been greatly excited, and filled with gloorriy 
forebodings. Yet the language that is used to ex- 
press the agony of the Saviour, is the strongest 
which could be employed. He is represented as 
penetrated and overwhelmed with the most piercing 



AGONY IN GETIISEMANE. 237 

sorrows. The words employed by St. Mark in the 
original, signify a mixture of terror, amazement, and 
heavy griefs, that cannot be expressed in language. 
In one verse he represents the sufferer as encircled 
with sorrows, that broke in upon him with such vio- 
lence, as apparently to shut off all means of his 
escape. One writer observes, "that Christ's con- 
tinued resolution in the midst of these agonies and 
supernatural horrors, was the most heroic that can 
be imagined, and far superior to valor in single com- 
bat, or in battle ; where in one case the spirit is 
raised by natural indignation, and in the other by 
the pomp of war, the sound of martial music, and 
the example of fellow-soldiers." The expression in 
the prayer, " If it be possible, let this cup pass from 
me," reveals the depth of his agonies. 

He had come, indeed, upon a mission of suffering. 
He knew before his incarnation, that he should be 
" a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." But 
this cup he desired, if possible, might pass from him. 
He could drink any other. He could face his most 
violent and implacable enemies. He could receive 
the insults, blows, and curses of the infuriated popu- 
lace. He could look upon the cross, the nails, the 
spear, and the iron clad soldiers, with comparative 
composure. But this anguish he would gladly, if 
possible, escape. He approximates towards an ex- 
pression of it, in the declaration which he made to the 
three chosen disciples, " My soul is exceeding sorrow- 
ful, even unto death ; tarry ye here and watch with 
me." His spirit is ready to faint and sink, and he 
desires his friends to tarry near him, and watch and 
pray. 



238 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

The nature of this sorrow, with the various ele- 
ments that entered into it, we cannot of course fully 
explore. The Saviour had previously passed through 
severe struggles, with the world and with temptation. 
He had encountered the opposition of bitter foes, 
who had repeatedly attenipted to take his life. His 
grief and indignation had been excited by the hy- 
pocrisy and deep iniquity of the Pharisees. He 
had been tried by the want of stability and devotion 
on the part of his professed friends ; by the unwil- 
lingness of men to repent, and believe in him ; by the 
slight impression which was made upon the minds 
of the multitudes who witnessed his " mighty works ; " 
by the difficulties which he everywhere encountered, 
in convincing men of the spiritual nature and ends 
of his kingdom. But this was the great conflict of 
his life ; the great moral battle in which he encoun- 
tered the combined forces of evil. This was the 
crisis of his existence, — the crisis, I may say, in the 
great work of redemption. Here the mighty tides 
of influence, — of hostile moral forces met, and the 
Messiah is left to struggle in their foaming, raging 
waters. He grasps, as it were, the arms of his disci- 
ples, that they may help to sustain him. If he sinks 
now, it is all over with the hopes of this apostate 
world. What has been accomplished in the past — 
miracles, benevolent deeds, eloquent teachings, and 
severe trials — will not atone for sin. The sublime 
work that called the Son of God from his glorious 
throne, will remain incomplete, unless the floods of 
this agony are passed through. 

But still the question presses upon us, what con- 



AGONY IN GETHSEMAXE. 239 

stituted that indescribable distress, that the Saviour 
thrice prayed that he might, if it were possible, 
escape ? We obtain, I think, some clue to it, from 
the words of prophecy, uttered as though the events 
had already transpned. " He hath borne our giiefs, 
and carried our sorrows ; he was wounded for our 
transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities ; the 
chastisement of our peace w^as upon him." He un- 
dertook to satisfy the demands of God's violated 
law, and to endure for us, as far as it was possible, 
the wounds consequent upon our transgressions. 
However great might be the burden and agonies 
attendant upon achieving a full and complete re- 
demption, Christ so loved the world that he was 
resolved to carry the work through. And here in the 
garden, just before his betrayal and arrest, and as 
the last terrible tragedy was opening before him, he 
felt the tremendous pressure of the vast undertaking 
which he had assumed. Views gf the enormity of 
sin, and of its fearful consequences in the eternal 
world, rolled in upon his mind like successive waves 
from a fathomless ocean of sorrow. He saw the 
necessity of divine justice as well as the blessedness 
of divine mercy. He saw that the eternal throne 
must be sustained, though all else should perish. 
He saw how destructive and awful an evil sin was ; 
that it tended directly to the subversion of all order 
and authority ; that it broke in upon the happiness 
of God's moral universe, and threatened its utter 
annihilation ; that it would, unless checked, involve 
the universe in one common ruin. He saw, too, the 
state of the world that he had come to redeem and 



240 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

bless ; its awful apostasy and deep guilt ; its malice, 
treachery, cruelty, and systems of oppression. He 
saw from what exalted heights man had fallen into 
the deep pit and miry clay of sin. He saw and felt 
too, wiiat no human mind can conceive, or if con- 
ceived, what no human language could express. 
For in all our endeavors to analyze the nature of 
that suffering which w^as endured to atone for our 
sins, we are completely baffled. After having ex- 
hausted the power of language and of thought, 
there are depths w^hich we cannot reach. There are 
perplexing mysteries which we cannot solve. There 
is much said by theological writers upon this point, 
but it amounts to but little. It does not touch the 
reality, the essence of the thing. "We are not in- 
formed that Christ explained, even to his favorite 
disciples, the nature of his sorrow. They saw his 
insupportable agony, heard his groans, listened to 
his earnest cries to the Father, saw him sweat, as 
it were, great drops of blood falling to the ground ; 
but into the deep causes of the distress, they could 
not penetrate. 

Besides being oppressed by the most vivid views 
of the nature and consequences of sin, it is probable 
that the sorrow of Christ was increased by the 
agency of the powers of darkness. They would 
naturally seize upon this occasion to make their last 
desperate effort to break up the plan of salvation, 
and thwart the divine purposes of mercy. They had 
before attempted to make inroads upon the holiness 
of the Saviour's character. They had sought oppor- 
tunities to break down his integrity, and thus despoil 



AGONY IN GETHSEMANE. 241 

him of his power. But from every conflict he had 
come off* a glorious conqueror. And now his event- 
ful career was about to close. Should he triumph to 
the last, the victory would be one from which the 
powers of hell would never recover. The Conqueror 
would be exalted far above all principalities and 
powers, and have a name above every name. Hence 
every means was doubtless used by the evil spirits, 
on this dark and horrible night, to destroy the Lord 
of glory. How they on this, or on former occasions, 
gained access to his mind, or what forms of tempta- 
tion or torture they used, we cannot determine. It 
is enough for us to know, that there are avenues of 
communication between this and the world of lost 
spirits, and that devils were permitted to assail the 
virtue of the Son of the Most High. Indeed, we are 
assured that upon the great moral battle field of life, 
we are all called upon to contend against these ma- 
lignant forces. " For we wrestle," St. Paul says, " not 
against flesh and blood " alone, " but against princi- 
palities, against powers, against the rulers of the 
darkness of this world." There cannot, therefore, 
be a doubt, but that the agony of the Saviour was 
greatly increased by these foes. 

It is also probable, that his sufferings were aug- 
mented by the consciousness of the base ingratitude 
of mankind, the implacable malice of the Jews, 
the treachery of Judas, and the weakness of Peter 
and his fellow disciples. The events of the future 
were full in his view. The terrible picture was be- 
fore his eyes, in all its dark colorings and gloomy 
features. He was about to be betrayed, and by a 

21 



242 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

professed friend; aye more, by a chosen apostle, one 
who had sat at the table with him, listened to his 
teachings, and shared in his favors. He was about 
to be crucified by the very class whom he had come 
specially to bless. Peter would deny him with oaths 
and curses, and his bosom companions, in the hour 
of danger, wo aid flee and abandon him to his fate. 
Nay, more ; the scheme of redemption, sealed with 
his precious blood, would be rejected by thousands, 
and would for nineteen centuries, at least, be un- 
known by millions of the human family. He fore- 
saw the bitter opposition that his system would en- 
counter, the arguments that would be framed against 
it, the terrible storms of persecution that would rage 
against those who should embrace his truth and be- 
lieve on his name. Can we longer wonder at his 
exclamation, " My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even 
unto death." 

The conduct of the disciples on this 7nemorable 
occasion, cannot escape our notice. Human nature, 
in its best estate, affords but a frail dependence. 
But in this instance, it seems to us wonderful, that 
the disciples could be so indifferent to what was 
transpiring before their eyes, and feel so little sympa- 
thy for their Master while he was enduring such 
agony. The scenes through which they had just be- 
fore passed, were of the most exciting and thrilling 
character, and they could not but have been im- 
pressed with the conviction that some startling event, 
or gloomy tragedy, was about to happen. They 
knew that Judas had gone out, carrying with him 
the heart of a traitor, and they had reason to expect 



AGONY IN GETHSEMANE. 243 

that at any moment his fatal pm'pose might be exe- 
cuted. Peter, with all his professions of devotion 
and firmness, had been distinctly told, that before 
morning he would three times basely deny his Lord. 
The disciples had been warned, notwithstanding 
their apparent willingness to lay down their lives for 
Christ, that they would that night flee in terror and 
desert him. Yet at the very moment when they 
should have exercised the utmost vigilance, and 
afforded to Christ their cordial sympathy, they are 
found sleeping. In order to secure the special coop- 
eration of Peter, John, and James, they are taken 
apart from the others, and witness the distress de- 
picted in the Saviom-'s countenance, and hear his 
agonizing cries. Yet Christ, in the height of his 
sorrow, came to them three times, and found them 
overcome by sleep. Filled with the utmost amaze- 
ment and grief at their conduct, he exclaimed, 
"What, could ye not watch with me one horn'?" 
What, could ye not, at a moment like this, a moment 
pregnant with infinite consequences to mankind, a 
crisis that awakens the deepest interest among the 
angelic hosts, and in the remotest regions of the uni- 
verse, could ye not watch and give me your sympa- 
thy for one short hour ? Is your love so feeble, or 
your faith so weak, or your views of spiritual and 
eternal realities so faint, that you can sleep at such a 
time as this ? " Yet it appears that no appeals or 
entreaties covild arouse them, and the Saviour is left 
to struggle with his sufferings alone. While viewing 
the scene, we may well exclaim, in the words of the 
prophet, " Who is this that cometh from Edom, with 



244 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

dyed garments from Bozrah ? this that is glorious in 
his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? 
I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Where- 
fore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments 
like him who treadeth in the wine fat? I have trod- 
den the wine-press alone, * and of the people there 
was none with me. I looked, and there was none to 
help ; and I wondered that there was none to up- 
hold ; therefore my own arm brought salvation." 

We cannot suppose that the divine nature of 
Christ partook of these intense sorrows ; although it 
is difficult for us to conceive of the Saviour's passing 
through such agonies, without his whole being sym- 
pathizing with them, or in some way being affected 
by them. But his earnest desire for the support and 
sympathy of his disciples, as well as an unwilling- 
ness to admit that divinity, is left under any circum- 
stances to experience suffering, lead us to the conclu- 
sion that his human nature was called to endure this 
tremendous weight of sorrow. Regarding, therefore, 
the event in this light, we can readily conceive that 
there was an intensity of meaning in Christ's in- 
quiry, ", Could ye not watch with me one hour?" 
During his whole life there had not been a period 
when he stood in such need of the support which his 
disciples could afford. He does not, indeed, ask 
them to suffer with him. He does not ask them to 
lay down their lives for him, or to stand in the front 
of the battle ground and receive the blows of his 
enemies. He simply asks that they watch and pray 
with him. And besides doing this to sustain him, 
he had another object in view, that they might them- 



AGONY IN GETHSEMANfe. 245 

selves be fortified against temptation. The night 
was one that was to try their souls as well as his 
own. Their love, then' constancy, their faith, were to 
be put to a severe test. The traitor would soon ap- 
pear. The soldiers were already putting on their 
armor. The foes were lighting their torches. The 
mob was gathering its forces. In the glare of the 
torchlight might be seen within the city groups of 
rough, fiendlike beings, conferring together how they 
might capture their victim. While these prepara- 
tions were going on, while even the multitude were 
pouring through the gates, and were following the 
traitor towards the garden, the disciples slept. They 
could not watch one hour, — not even to prepare 
themselves for the terrible conflict. Hence, when 
the trial came, they were swept before it. 

The idea that it was the human nature of Christ 
that suffered on this occasion, is strengthened by the 
fact that an angel was sent to support and comfort 
him. We can hardly suppose that a finite and cre- 
ated being could afford any essential aid to a divine 
sufferer. But the incarnate Christ might be sus- 
tained by the help and sympathy of an angel ; and 
though the disciples slept, yet we are assured that 
spiritual beings watched with the Lord of glory, and 
were ready and anxious to relieve him of this op- 
pressive load of sorrow. 

The last point to be noticed is, the entire submis- 
sion to the divine ivill^ ichich Christ exercised under 
these intense sufferings. In the previous history of 
the Saviour, his submission to the Father had been 
inarked and uniform. But it had never been brought 
21* 



246 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

to SO severe a trial as at the present time. On no 
former occasion do we hear from Christ's lips, ex- 
pressions of such intense feeling and acute suffering 
as on this memorable night. With his soul pierced 
through by a thousand sorrows, he prays, that if it 
be possible this cup might pass from him. If in any 
way his great work can be accomplished, and the 
world saved, without a continuation of the horrors 
of that night, he desires that the cup of affliction 
may be taken from his lips. If it be possible to sat- 
isfy the demands of justice -in any other way, — if 
infinite wisdom and love can meet the emergency 
through any other process, or by any other measures, 
he desires that it may be done. Yet, at the very 
instant when his agony is the most intense, and he 
is praying with all the fervency of his soul to be de- 
livered from it, he says to the Father, " Not my will, 
but thine, be done." " Let the tide of sorrow roll 
on, — let suffering be piled upon suffering, and 
agony upon agony, until the very blood starts from 
my veins, until life itself become extinct, if such is 
the will of an infinitely wise and holy God." 

What a sublime triumph have we here ! How do 
the very spirit of grandeur, and the essence of glory 
emerge from the gloom and horrors of that scene! 
We almost forget the suffering, in the splendors of^ 
this victory. Pain, temptation, the powers of hell, 
all are conquered by this mighty act of submission. 
Christ's will is absorbed in the divine will, so that 
they both constitute a unity. 

The entire reliance of the Saviour upon the 
Father's wisdom and goodness, is here presented in 



AGOXY IN GETHSEMANE. 247 

the most vivid manner. He knew that the Judge of 
all the earth would do right. He knew that his 
Heavenly Father would not inflict upon him one un- 
necessary sorrow. He knew that if it were possible, 
the cup would pass from him. He knew that the 
nature of God was love, and that he delighted only in 
the happiness of the universe ; and therefore he was 
willing to leave his soul in his hands. 

Thus the glorious Redeemer prepared himself for 
all that might befall him. He received in the garden 
his baptism of sorrow, and was ready for whatever 
the malice and cruelty of his enemies might inflict 
upon him. Insults, mockings, scourging, the cross, 
Calvary, these do not move him. His spirit was 
crucified, before his body was nailed to the cross. 
His soul was wounded, before the spear entered his 
side. The powers of hell tried their strength upon 
him, before he was seized by human arms, and con- 
demned by human authority. What a lesson does 
this submission teach us ! How ready ought we to 
be, under our lesser sufferings, to say to the Supreme 
Father, " thy will be done." To bring us to merge 
our wills in the divine will, is the grand purpose of 
religion. And not until we do this, shall we meet 
the requisitions of the divine law, and find rest for 
the soul. 



XX. 

TREACHERY OF JUDAS. 



" Betratest thou the son of man with a kiss ? '* 
Luke xxii. 48. 

Such was the mild, yet withering remark, with 
which Christ met the signal of Judas's treachery. 
The traitor entered the garden at the head of a large 
and promiscuous multitude, composed of Roman 
soldiers, the officers of the chief-priests and Phari- 
sees, and the rude and vulgar from the lowest class 
of society. Some carried lanterns and torches, while 
others were armed with swords and staves, as though 
they had come out to arrest a notorious robber, or 
encounter a banditti of outlaws. As is not unfre- 
quently the case, when a great benefactor or reformer 
is to be put down, we find in this group that the ex- 
tremes of society meet. The proud Pharisee, and 
the officers of the chief-priests, mingle with the 
most degraded of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and 
they make common cause against the Messiah. 
Judas, fixing his eye upon Christ, approached him in 
a manner indicating the greatest respect and affection. 



TREACHERY OF JUDAS. 249 

As had been the custom of the disciples, he saluted 
him with a kiss, at the same time saying, " Hail, 
Master ; " words expressive of his best wishes for 
Christ's welfare and happiness. The Saviour, after 
surveying the motley group that stood before him, 
turned his benignant countenance towards the 
traitor, and said, " Betrayest thou the Son of man 
with a kiss ? " Then stepping forward with the 
greatest coolness and intrepidity of manner, he said 
to the multitude, " Whom seek ye ? " They replied, 
Jesus of Nazareth. He frankly said, " I am he," and 
with this utterance there went forth such a power, or 
such impressions of his divine majesty and glory, 
that his enemies recoiled and fell to the ground. 
During this conversation it is mentioned as a signifi- 
cant fact, that Judas, who had formerly mingled 
with the disciples of Jesus, went over and stood 
with his enemies. The fatal act of his life had 
been committed, and he now casts in his lot with 
the vile rabble and iron-hearted soldiers who seek 
the life of the innocent Jesus. Anticipating, proba- 
bly, a conflict between the friends and foes of Christ, 
he desired to b.e on what he deems the strongest 
side, and to receive the protection of those into 
whose hands he had betrayed his Lord. He pre- 
ferred to trust in an arm of flesh, — in power based 
upon injustice and cruelty, rather than in him who 
had stilled the waves of the ocean, and established 
his authority over the elements and laws of nature. 
Since the time of Christ, the name of Judas has 
stood before the world as the type of all that is dark, 
deceitful, and base in the human character. In 



250 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

tracing out his career, although we may be led 
through pathways filled with shadows that fall from 
his character, and may feel the chill from his cold 
treachery, and shudder at the fate of one who had 
been so highly favored and blessed, yet the contem- 
plation may serve us in our experience, and render 
us watchful of dangers that surround the footsteps 
of all. 

In the first place, notice the nature and aggravation 
of this crijue. All persons will admit that treachery 
is one of the most hateful and destructive in the cat- 
alogue in human sins. It involves the double guilt 
of committing a wrong, and abusing confidence, or 
the sacred obligations of friendship. Judas sinned 
with the officers and men who sought to arrest 
Jesus, and he also sinned in using his knowledge of 
the person of Christ, and of his private retreats, to 
betray him into the hands of his enemies. He gave 
the deepest hue to his crime, by professing such 
affection for Christ, while he was plotting his ruin. 
Had he come out openly and denied him, and been 
known as a foe to the Messiah, and his system of 
doctrines, the case would have been different. But 
up to the very hour, and in the act of betraying him, 
he manifested the warmest affection. As though his 
recent and short separation from his Master had oc- 
casioned him pain, he appeared to rejoice at meeting 
him again, and saluted him in the most friendly 
manner. There was a smile upon his countenance, 
and a kiss upon his lips, while the blackest treachery 
lurked in his heart. With his mouth he said, " Hail, 
Master," while his spuit said, Hail to the blood- 



TREACHERY OF JUDAS. 251 

thirsty wretches who seek the life of the Lord of 
glory! Hail to this mob who come with torches, 
and clubs, and swords ! 

Impressed with the deep hypocrisy that marked 
his conduct, the Saviour put to him that searching 
question, " Betrayest thou the Son of man with a 
kiss ? " Is there no other way in which you can 
make me known to my adversaries ? INIust you em- 
ploy your professed love, as a means of betraying 
me into the hands of these cruel men ? There was 
a profound meaning in this inquuy, a meaning that 
must have filled the Saviour with grief. That one 
could be found on God's earth so lost to all honor, 
sense of right, gratitude, or friendship, as to com- 
mit such an act, must have stung his heart with 
anguish ! 

The exalted privileges and rich spiritual bless- 
ings which the traitor had enjoyed, add to the 
enormity of his crime. He had walked and con- 
versed with the Messiah. He had been received to 
his heart as a bosom companion ; had been admitted 
to his private councils, and chosen as one of the 
t\velve apostles. He had witnessed the miracles of 
Christ, and could not but have regarded them as 
manifestations of divine power. He had listened to 
his instructions in public and in private, — had been 
moved by the eloquence of his lips, — the sublimity 
of his doctrines, and the boldness, ardor, and faith- 
fulness that characterized his public ministry. His 
mind had been enlightened and enriched by those 
private interviews which the Saviour often held with 
his disciples, and when he opened to them the treas- 



252 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

ures of infinite wisdom. He must have felt, while in 
the presence of the Saviom^, listening to his fervent 
prayers, and the immortal truths upon which he de- 
lighted to dwell, that he stood in the portals of 
heaven, surrounded by a celestial atmosphere, and 
almost in view of the glories of an immortal state. 

The virtues and holy principles which governed 
the life of Christ, also passed under his inspection. 
He had the amplest opportunities for judging of the 
purity of his motives, and the holiness of his life. 
He could not fail to be impressed with his sincerity, 
divinity, and authority. 

In spiritual advantages, therefore, Judas occupied 
the highest position that was attainable on earth. 
He who was " the way, the truth, and the life," was 
his instructor. He who announced himself to be 
" the light of the world," was his guide. The worker 
of mighty miracles was his friend. The being whose 
biography was condensed in the declaration, " he 
went about doing good," was his example. The 
king, whose empire was destined to extend until it 
embraced all the nations of the earth, was the Mas- 
ter whom he served. Could he have asked for clear- 
er light, or richer advantages, or a more honored or 
sublime position ? 

Besides, he had been distinctly warned of his 
crime, and of the awful consequences that would 
attend it. While sitting at the table with the other 
apostles, at the institution of the last supper, he had 
heard from Christ the distinct declaration, " Behold, 
one of you shall betray me." The announcement 
fell as a thunderbolt upon the ears of the eleven, 



TREACHERY OF JUDAS. 253 

but Judas knew its import. They, startled by the 
astounding tidings, cried out, as though distrustful 
of their own minds and purposes, "Lord, is it I?" 
The traitor, struggling to maintain his composure, 
and fearful that his silence might fasten the suspi- 
cions of his brethren upon himself, at last muttered 
out, "Lord, is it I?" Christ replied, "Thou hast 
said." Thou art the person. Judas also heard from 
the lips of Christ the withering denunciation, " Woe 
unto that man by whom the Son of Man is be- 
trayed ; it had been good for that man if he had not 
been born." The traitor, therefore, enters upon his 
crime with a full knowledge of its heinous nature, 
and warned of its guilt and destructive conse- 
quences. 

Let us next inquire into the motives that prompted 
him to commit an act of such glaring atrocity. Of 
the early history of Judas, nothing is certainly 
known. The most prominent fact related of him 
by the Evangelists, previous to his betrayal of the 
Saviour, was his displeasure towards Mary for anoint- 
ing Jesus with so much precious ointment, which 
might have been sold for three hundred pence and 
given to the poor. St. Luke maintains that he really 
cared nothing for the poor, but being the treasurer 
of the company of apostles, and being a thief, he 
desired to gain possession of the money and appro^ 
priate it to his own use. His disappointment in not, 
in this instance, accomplishing his ends, seems to 
have produced in his mind the determination to 
make up, if possible, the loss in some other way. 
Hence, knowing the anxiety of the chief priests to 

22 



254 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

arrest his Master, he went to them and said, " What 
will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you ? 
And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of 
silver.'' 

The feelings and motives which induced him to 
become a follower of Christ, and the state of his 
mind when he was chosen an apostle, we have no 
means of accurately analyzing. We can hardly 
suppose that he was actuated purely by avarice in 
joining such a company; for certainly there was 
nothing in their appearance or prospects to encour- 
age the hope of large worldly gains. Having wit- 
nessed the miracles of Christ, and participating in 
the general expectation that a powerful king was 
soon to appear, who would deliver the nation from 
their Roman oppressors, he might have been influ- 
enced by ambitious motives, and have thought that 
he would in some way promote his worldly interests 
by espousing the cause of Christ. Or, like the 
young ruler who came to Christ to know what he 
must do to be saved, he might to some extent have 
been sensible of his sinfulness, and his need of relig- 
ious instruction. His keen remorse, and his readi- 
ness to return the money to the chief-priests, when 
he found how terrible would be the results of his 
treachery, show that he was not altogether insensible 
to the power of conscience, and a sense of justice. 
He may have supposed after he made the bargain to 
betray Christ, that his Master would not really be 
arrested and put to death, but would, by the exercise 
of his miraculous pov/er, escape out of the hands of 
his enemies, as he had done on former occasions. 



TREACHERY OF JUDAS. 255 

But, whatever may have been the original motives 
which actuated Judas in joining the company of 
Christ's disciples, it is clear that at the close of his 
career, he was in subjection to the base principle of 
avarice. The growth of this principle in his mind, 
had probably been gradual. Step by step, he had 
reached that point, when he was ready to perform 
the infamous act of betraying the Son of God for 
thirty pieces of silver. 

The power of this principle must have been tre- 
mendous, to have worked against the light and spir- 
itual advantages which this man enjoyed. We can- 
not but believe that, as in any other mind similarly 
situated, there was a constant struggle going on be- 
tween the love of money, and the desire for future 
and immortal happiness. But he allowed the god 
of this world to rise above the better feelings of his 
nature, and gain the mastery over him. We are 
told that Satan entered into him, and instigated him 
to the commission of this crime. Whether it was 
the personal Satan, or the devil of avarice, matters 
but little. For the power of avarice is such, that it 
may properly be termed a demon. It has, from the 
time of Judas to the present hour, exercised over 
many minds a most despotic sway. It has dried up 
the fountains of affection, — obliterated the noblest 
feelings of the soul, — blasted every virtue, — broken 
the power of conscience, and led its victims to tram- 
ple underfoot justice, right, and humanity. To-day 
it rules tens of thousands with a rod of iron. It 
obstructs the progress of God's truth, — consoli- 
dates various forms of iniquity, and neutralizes the 



256 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

forces that are at work to elevate, ennoble, and bless 
mankind. Judas, bargaining with the chief-priests 
to betray his Lord for thirty pieces of silver, is the 
representative of a large number of constituents. 
He has had, in all ages, his successors, as well as the 
other apostles. 

His history illustrates, too, what depths of iniquity 
a man may reach while enjoying the highest relig- 
ious advantages, and placed in circumstances cal- 
culated to develop the noblest principles of his 
nature. He was under the dominion of selfishness 
while in the society of the great and divine example 
of benevolence. He was an infidel while listening 
to the words and doctrines of him who spake as 
never man spake. Satan was in his heart, while the 
title of apostle was attached to his name. With 
the infinite treasures of a heavenly and everlasting 
kingdom within his reach, he preferred thirty pieces 
of silver. With the opportunity of securing an im- 
mortal fame for integrity, faithfulness, and the 
noblest heroism, he took as his portion immortal 
infamy. What a lesson there is in his history! 
What an emphatic testimony to the importance of 
associating inward principle with outward advan- 
tage ! Judas walked with the King of kings and 
Lord of lords, — witnessed his mighty miracles, — 
lived under the sunlight of his perfect character, — 
but neglected inward culture, — neglected secret 
prayer, self-examination, and the duty of fortifying 
his mind against easily besetting sins. Hence the 
rapid growth of this principle of avarice, even when 
surroun ed by such exalted spiritual privileges. His 



TREACHERY OF JUDAS. 257 

mind was blinded by it, so that he could not perceive 
the excellence of divine truth, the beauty of the 
divine character, and the glory of the hopes that 
Christ held out to those who are faithful to his 
cause. 

We would next notice the consequences of this crime 
to the traitor himself. When Judas found that his 
Master was condemned, and that he probably would 
be put to death, he was stung with remorse at the 
thought of his infamous deed. That he, an apostle, 
honored with the appointment by Christ himself, 
favored above millions of his fellow men, admitted 
to the table with the select few around which Christ 
met his disciples for the last time ; that he, under 
such circumstances, should have betrayed the Lord 
of glory into the hands of his enemies, was a thought 
that pierced his soul with the keenest anguish. He 
could no-t endure it. He could not live under it. 
With those thirty pieces of silver in his pocket, ex- 
istence to him was a curse. He therefore seeks 
relief by hastening back to the priests with the 
money. Returning it to them he said, with deep 
and horrible emotion, " I have sinned in that I have 
betrayed the innocent blood." Now mark the reply 
of his employers. With the coldest indifference, 
characteristic of such men, they said, " What is that 
to us ? see thou to that." Judas went to these men 
hoping to get sympathy, or some relief to his feel- 
ings. He could not go to his former companions, 
for he had most basely deserted them, and cruelly 
betrayed their Master. The priests and elders, in the 
first instance, had doubtless received him with cor- 
22* 



258 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

diality and the appearance of friendship. But when 
he is in trouble, and goes to them with his soul 
crushed under a mountain weight of remorse, they 
coldly and sneeringly reply, " What is that to us ? " 
" What concern have we with your sorrows ? We 
bargained with you to perform a certain deed, and 
we have fulfilled our part of the contract, while you 
have fulfilled yours. We knew that you were en- 
gaging in a mean and infamous business, but what 
is your suffering to us? See thou to that." Oh, 
with what increased anguish and horror of mind 
must he have listened to those scorching words ! 
How they must have rung in his ears and clung to 
his memory ! 

But had he possessed much knowledge of human 
nature, he might have anticipated such a result. 
For this is the way in which wicked men uniformly 
treat those whom, by their money, they have made 
the tools of their base designs. After their own 
wicked purposes are accomplished, they care not 
what calamities may befall those whom they were 
so ready at first to caress and flatter. Their lan- 
guage to the traitor always is, when he begins to 
reap the fearful consequences of his treachery, 
" What is that to us ? see thou to that." Whether 
the man has betrayed his country, or his religion, or 
fireedom, or temperance, or any good cause, his fate 
among his villanous employers is the same. 

In the case of Judas, even the innocence of Christ 
was not a matter of the least consequence to his 
bitter enemies. They cared no more for Judas's 
opinion upon this point, than for the anguish which 



TREACHERY OF JUDAS. 259 

his infamous deed had wrought in his soul. Their 
object wasj right or wrong, just or unjust, to seize 
Christ and to execute him. They felt that it w^as 
dangerous to the state, dangerous to formalism and 
to their whited sepulchre system of religion, to have 
a person of so much piety, boldness, and earnestness 
in maintaining God's truth among them ; and hence 
their aim was to crush him, without regard to the 
means which it might be necessary to employ. 

It is a fact, however, worthy of notice, that the 
two men on the earth the most interested to find 
Christ guilty, bore witness to his innocence. Pilate, 
with all his anxiety to please the people, and pro- 
mote his own popularity, said, " I find no fault in 
this man;" and Judas acknowledged, "I have be- 
trayed innocent blood." 

The traitor, failing in his effort to obtain sympathy 
or relief, " cast down the pieces of silver in the tem- 
ple, and departed and hung himself." Unable to 
endure the remorse of conscience which his guilt oc- 
casioned, he, in despair, put an end to his own life, 
thus adding the crime of suicide to that of treachery. 
To such tragical results do the small beginnings of 
sin often lead! The love of money, which is the 
root of all evil, by being cherished, blasted his char- 
acter, destroyed his life, and ruined his soul. 

" The thirty pieces down he flung, 

For which his Lord he sold, 
And turned away his murderer's face 

From that accursed gold. 
He cannot sleep, he dares not watch ; 

That weight is on his heart, 
For which nor earth, nor heaven have hope, 

Which never can depart. 



260 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

" A curse is on his memory, 

We shudder at his name ; 
At once we loathe and scorn his guilt, 

And yet we do the same : 
Alas ! the sinfulness of man, 

How oft in deed and word 
We act the traitor's part again, 

And do betray our Lord ! " 



XXL 

TRIAL AND CONDEMNATION OF CHRIST. 



" When the morning was come, all the chief priests and 
elders of the people took counsel against jesus to 
put him to death. and when they had bound him, 
they led hi3i away, and delivered hi3i to pontius 
PILATE, THE GOVERNOR." — Matthew xxvii. 1, 2. 

In the trial and condemnation of Christ, we have 
an affecting illustration of the forbearance of the 
sufferer, in connection with a development of some 
of the strongest principles of man's depraved heart. 
Human wickedness, in the form of hypocrisy, had 
reached its highest point in the treachery of Judas. 
But, in the scenes which followed the arrest of 
Christ, we have other phases of depravity, which 
stand out with fearful prominence. We have the 
divine virtues of the Saviour brought in close and 
vivid contrast with injustice, malice, contempt, and 
the most wanton cruelty. His enemies having 
seized and bound him, led him away to the house 
of Annas, who had, a short time before, held the 
office of high-priest, and who was the father-in-law 
of Caiphas. In the mean time a council of the San- 



262 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

hedrim had been summoned at the palace of the 
high-priest, whither the Saviom* was soon taken to 
undergo an examination. Such was the intense in- 
terest which the occasion excited, that ^although it 
was now midnight, yet all the chief priests and the 
scribes and the elders had assembled, and were wait- 
ing to receive Jesus, and to participate in his trial. 
The innocent sufferer, bound like a criminal, was led 
by the soldiers into the presence of this proud and 
sanctimonious body of men. 

The case is opened by the high-priest in a manner 
contrary to all usage, and to the law of Moses, by 
which they professed to be governed. That law, as 
well as the authority of tradition, required, that wit- 
nesses should be examined, and the testimony or 
evidences which they furnished, be carefully weighed. 
But instead of proceeding in this manner, for the 
obvious reason that they had no witnesses to exam- 
ine, and no real charges to substantiate against 
Christ, the high-priest immediately questioned him 
respecting his disciples and his doctrines. He had 
really no desire to ascertain the truth as to his teach- 
ings and followers, but wished to draw something 
from the Saviour's lips that might be the ground of 
an accusation against him. Contrary to every prin- 
ciple of justice, he aimed to make Christ bear wit- 
ness against himself. Indeed, his mind, as well as 
that of the priests and scribes, was already made up 
to sacrifice the victim before him, and all that he 
waited for, was a favorable opportunity or a plausi- 
ble excuse for carrying into execution his purpose. 

In reply to his inquiries, Christ, in a calm and 



TRIAL AND CONDEMNATION OF CHRIST. 263 

dignified manner, answered : " I spake openly to the 
world. I ever taught in the synagogue and in the 
temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in 
secret I have said nothing." The question of the 
high-priest seemed to carry with it the insinuation, 
that Christ had some secret plans or wicked plots 
against the authorities of the nation, to accomplish. 
As there was no specific charge that could be brought 
against him, this artifice was resorted to, as a means 
of concealing the real state of the case. 

But Christ at once appeals to his public teachings 
and public career, for proof of his innocence of so 
base a charge. He declares that he taught not only in 
the synagogue, but in the temple whither the Jews 
always resort. For three years he had been in the 
habit of proclaiming his doctrines in the most public 
manner. Large assemblies of the Jews had listened 
to his discourses and his discussions upon the vari- 
rious topics of biblical knowledge. Indeed, there 
were men present in this very council, with whom 
he had discussed the doctrines of theology. And if 
they know of any thing objectionable in his teach- 
ings, or in his life, why do they not speak out, and 
at once accuse their victim ? If they have any thing 
to say, why do they not embrace this favorable op- 
portunity? The victim is before them bound, and 
completely in their power. Most of his followers, 
panic-struck, have fled. One apostle has turned 
traitor, and another is just outside the door denying 
his Lord with oaths and curses. If they have any 
real accusation to bring forward, certainly now is the 
time to produce it. But the dignified hypocrites are 



264 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

all silent. There comes no voice from the whited 
sepulchres ; the dead men's bones cannot speak. No 
one in the council can utter even a plausible false- 
hood against the Saviour. 

Then Christ, after explicitly stating that in secret 
he had said nothing, inquired of the high-priest, 
" "Why askest thou me ? " " Why do you put such 
questions to one v^ho has been arrested as a criminal 
or an outlaw ? " " Ask them which heard me, 
what I have said unto them; behold, they know 
what I have said." Now this was certainly fair 
and honorable. There were hundreds of persons in 
Jerusalem, friends and foes, who had often listened 
to his teachings, and who might be brought on to 
the stand, and be made to testify in the case. 

When, however, he had thus spoken, one of the 
officers, probably observing the great embarrassment 
into which the Sanhedrim was thrown, by the evi- 
dent innocence and fairness of their victim, and 
boiling over with rage at seeing how little progress 
the learned judges were making in the case, turned 
round and struck the Saviour a blow in the face, 
saying, answerest thou the high-priest so ? Such an 
act was not only a gross outrage upon Christ, but it 
was in direct violation of the rules and usages of the 
court. Yet it illustrated a principle in human na- 
ture which we often see acted upon, under similar 
circumstances. When wicked men cannot meet the 
arguments of eminent benefactors, or the earnest de- 
fenders of God's truth, they usually resort to vio- 
lence, and make up in blows and tortures what they 
lack in sound evidence. The inquisitions of the 



TRIAL AND CONDEMNATION OF CHRIST. 265 

Romish church, and, indeed, all forms of persecution, 
are based upon this idea. The judges, seated in 
dark, inquisitorial halls, fit suburbs of the bottomless 
pit, are surrounded with their instruments of torture, 
to be used in accomplishing their ends, when justice 
and right fail them. 

But, observe the spirit of meekness and submission 
with which Christ received the insult. He simply 
replied, " If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the 
evil ; but if well, why smitest thou me ? '' Probably 
the members of the Sanhedrim were in hopes that 
Christ would in some way resent the insult, and thus 
give them the opportunity of accusing him, and of 
relieving themselves from the awkward position 
which they occupied. But being disappointed in 
this, their next step was to seek false witnesses who 
would testify against him, and thus give to their 
proceedings some show of justice. For, although 
they were in great haste to have Christ executed be- 
fore the feast, yet they were anxious to protect the 
influence and authority of their court, which had so 
long occupied so conspicuous a position in the affairs 
of the Jewish nation. But, notwithstanding they 
opened the way for the most infamous WTetches in 
the kingdom to bear witness against Christ, yet they 
could not find any who agreed in their testimony, or 
furnished evidence suited to their purpose. At last 
two false witnesses presented themselves, who, per- 
verting language which Christ had used respecting 
his death and resurrection, declared upon oath, " this 
fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God^ 
and to build it in three days." But, besides the want 

23 



266 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

of agreement in the testimony of these two wit- 
nesses, the accusation could amount to nothing more 
than a charge of boasting, or the use of an allegori- 
cal expression. 

However, the council were resolved not to be 
baffled in their endeavors to destroy the victim of 
their malice and jealousy. Accordingly, in the morn- 
ing they assembled again, and after the most false 
and trivial accusations had been brought against 
Jesus, the high-priest, probably hardly knowing what 
course to pursue, stood up, and said to Jesus, 
"Answerest thou nothing? What is it that these 
witness against thee ? But Jesus held his peace and 
answered nothing," for the plain reason that there 
was nothing which deserved an answ^er. No real 
crime had been brought against him. His whole 
life had been searched; false witnesses had been 
invited to take the stand and perjure themselves, and 
yet nothing could be found that was in the least de- 
gree injurious to his character. No one could prove 
that he had taught a single false doctrine, — or inter- 
fered with the rights of a single individual, or man- 
ifested the . least ambition, or committed an act 
worthy of censure. 

The high-priest, however, becoming every moment 
more anxious to bring the trial to a close, said to 
Christ, " I adjure thee by the living God that thou 
tell us whether thou be the Messiah, the Son of the 
blessed God ? " Jesus replied, " Thou hast said 
right, I am." And " I say unto you. Hereafter shall 
ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of 
the power of God, and coming in the clouds of 



TRIAL AND CONDEMNATION OF CHRIST. 267 

heaven." Then, at the call of the whole council, 
Christ, unwilling to retract or to violate the truth, 
even to avert from him the impending destruction, 
reaffirmed his Messiahship, and his claim to being 
acknowledged the Son of God. 

The high-priest, at once, as though filled with 
pious horror at what he had heard, rent his clothes, 
saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further 
need have we of witnesses ? This bold utterance of 
Christ, while it aroused the indignation of his ac- 
cusers, was at the same time a most solemn and 
emphatic testimony from his own lips in favor of his 
divine nature, and the glory of his mission. He 
doubtless had in his mind that sublime passage re- 
corded in the seventh chapter of Daniel : " I saw in 
the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of 

man came with the clouds of heaven And 

there was given him dominion, glory, and a king- 
dom, that all people, nations, and languages should 
serve him : his dominion is an everlasting dominion, 
which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that 
which shall not be destroyed." How intensely in- 
teresting is the spectacle here presented of the 
Saviour, with these sublime images and glorious 
expectations floating in his mind, while he stands as 
a bound criminal in the midst of such bitter and 
implacable foes ! While they are in a fever of ex- 
citement, thirsting for his biood, and waiting only 
for an opportunity to crush him, in defiance of all 
justice and right, he is calmly contemplating the 
period when he shall appear in the clouds of heaven 
with power and great glory, and his kingdom shall 



268 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

embrace all the nations, languages, and empires of 
the earth. 

But that which to the Messiah is a glorious real- 
ity, is regarded by his persecutors as the grossest 
blasphemy. The high-priest, in view of it, appeals 
to the Sanhedrim for their Opinion as to the punish- 
ment due to such a crime. They declare, on the 
strength of the testimony which they have heard, 
that he ought to be punished with death. Accord- 
ingly, as no one dares to appear in his defence, or 
raise even a question as to the right or expediency of 
such proceedings, they " all condemn him to be guilty 
of death." 

This awful sentence having been passed, the rab- 
ble and soldiers, who had the prisoner in custody, 
rushed upon him, and treated him with the greatest 
insolence and cruelty. Some even went so far as to 
buffet him, and spit upon him. In derision of the 
title which he claimed, they blindfolded him, and 
then struck him with the palms of their hands, say- 
ing, " Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, who it is that 
smote thee." " And many other things, blasphe- 
mously spake they against him." Had he been a 
notorious criminal, or the vilest malefactor, they 
could not have treated him worse. 

The next important scene opens before the judg- 
ment hall of Pontius Pilate, the governor. As the 
Jews, while in subjection to the Roman government, 
had not the power to put any man to death, they 
brought Christ before the governor, to induce him to 
execute the sentence which they had passed. On 
arriving at the palace, they were so conscientious 



TRIAL AND CONDEMNATION OF CHRIST. 269 

that they could not enter in, because it was the resi- 
dence of a Gentile, and they would be polluted, 
and thus prevented from eating the remaining sacri- 
fices connected with the passover. They could seize 
the innocent Jesus, and insult and abuse him ; they 
could devour widows' houses, and for a pretence 
make long prayers ; they could trample underfoot 
the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, 
and faith ; but they could not step within the door 
of a Gentile, lest they should be defiled! Pilate, 
therefore, willing to yield to their religious scruples, 
came out and managed the case with his usual art. 
He despised the Jews, and yet wished to retain his 
popularity among them, particularly as the influence 
of his administration had been much impaired by 
several acts of arbitrary injustice. He would gladly 
have saved Christ from the fanatical opposition 
which he at once saw was raging against him, and 
yet he was not the man to sacrifice his personal 
interests to the claims of justice, or the rights of in- 
nocence. 

His first inquiry was, " What accusation bring 
you against this man? " They replied, " If he were 
not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him 
up unto thee." Without specifying any particular 
charge, they make this general statement, deeming it 
enough to warrant the interference of the governor. 
But he, not caring to assume any responsibility in 
the case, directed the accusers to take him and judge 
him according to their own law. But they said, " It 
is not lawful for us to put any man to death." We 
have tried this malefactor and condemned him, and 

23* 



270 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

now we bring him to you to execute the sentence. 
But still the question presses, what is the crime of 
which he is guilty ? The deputies of the Sanhedrim, 
knowing that a heathen ruler would not sympathize 
with them in their religious difficulties, at once 
changed the ground of their opposition, and had the 
audacity and wickedness to frame the following 
charge : " We found this fellow perverting the na- 
tion, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying, 
that he himself is Christ, a King." This accusation, 
they supposed, would excite the jealousy of Pilate, 
and win him over to their cause. To this charge, 
the chief priests and elders added others, and such 
was their violence and intense excitement, that Pilate 
felt that he must take some action in the case. He 
therefore called Jesus into the Pretorium, and asked 
him, saying, " Art thou the King of the Jews ? " In 
reply, he assured him that he was, in a certain sense, 
a King; but he added, "my kingdom is not of this 
world." " I am not guilty of the charge of having 
interfered with the civil affairs of this country, nor is 
it my purpose to build up a worldly empire. My 
kingdom is a spiritual one, established and to be 
carried forward by spiritual means. " To this end 
was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, 
that I should bear witness unto the truth." Such 
was the noble declaration of the Messiah, while 
standing in the presence of the heathen ruler. Under 
no circumstances does he forget the sublime objects 
of his advent to earth. He came to bear witness, 
not only to the particular truth that he was the King 
of the Jews, but to all truth, — to the doctrine of a 



TRIAL AND CONDEMNATION OF CHRIST. 271 

spiritual Deity, — to the great principles of right, 
justice, and mercy, — to the reality of a future life, 
and a blessed immortality. He came to dissipate 
the darkness of error, to fill the moral firmament 
with stars of hope, to pour upon the world the efful- 
gence of divine and everlasting truth. 

After this interview with Christ, Pilate returned 
to the people who had been waiting to learn the re- 
sult of the examination, and said, " I find no fault at 
all in this man." This announcement, so contrary 
to their expectations and wishes, filled them with the 
greatest rage. " They were the more fierce, saying, 
He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all 
Judea, beginning from Galilee, to this place." 

The allusion to Galilee induced Pilate to send 
Christ to Herod, who had jurisdiction over that 
country. Thus he hoped to pacify the people, and 
to be relieved from the responsibility of deciding a 
case of so much perplexity. Herod, who had heard 
of the fame of Christ's miracles, was very anxious 
to see him, and to satisfy his curiosity in witnessing 
the displays of his wonderful power. But, the 
Saviour had no disposition to present before this 
wicked prince the evidences of his real character 
and divine origin. He had never, as we have seen, 
wrought a miracle merely to satisfy a vain curiosity, 
and certainly, in this case, he was resolved not to 
cast pearls before swine. Even the questions which 
were put to him, he did not answer, for he well 
knew the spirit which prompted them. Herod, there- 
fore, having in mockery arrayed the prisoner in a 
gorgeous robe, and exposed him to the derision of 



272 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

his soldiers, sent him back to Pilate, regarding him 
as a religious enthusiast, rather than a criminal 
worthy of punishment. Pilate, baffled in his plans 
to get rid of the case, and yet more convinced than 
before of the innocence of Christ, again assured the 
people, that after an examination by himself, and also 
before Herod, nothing was found in the man worthy 
of death. But, as the excitement and opposition 
continued without abatement, Pilate resorted to 
another expedient by which he might formally recog- 
nize the validity of the sentence pronounced by the 
Sanhedrim, and yet save the innocent sufferer from 
death. 

It was usual at the feast of the passover, for the 
Roman governor to release to the people any one 
prisoner whom they might desire, whatever might be 
the crime charged against him. It appears that they 
had in custody " a notable prisoner, named Barabbas, 
which lay bound with them, who had made insur- 
rection in the city, and who had committed murder 
in the insurrection." This man was publicly known 
as an infamous robber, who had infested the high- 
ways, and was one of the most dangerous men to be 
at large in society. When, therefore, as was the 
custom, the people called upon Pilate to release to 
them a prisoner, he asked them whom they would 
have, Barabbas or Christ ? He probably selected 
Barabbas, supposing that his notorious villany would 
render it beyond the limits of possibility that the 
people should call for him. But listen to the as- 
tounding result. The Evangelists inform us that the 
chief priests and elders moved and persuaded the 



TRIAL AND CONDEMNATION OF CHRIST. 273 

people that they should ask that he should release 
Barabbas unto them, and destroy Jesus, They 
therefore cried out at once, saying, Not this man, but 
Barabbas. The heathen ruler, shocked at their bar- 
barity and cold-hearted cruelty, said. What will ye, 
then, that I shall do with Jesus ? And they all cried 
out again, saying, ^''Crucify himr But Pilate, still 
determined to do all in his power to save one, of 
whose innocence he was thoroughly convinced, asked 
them, why commit so inhuman an act? "What 
evil hath he done ? " The mob, by this time, hav- 
ing become furious with rage, and forgetting even 
the forms of law, and trampling under their infidel 
feet all justice and mercy, cried out, " crucify him, 
crucify him ! '' They had got beyond the point of 
even considering or caring whether their victim was 
guilty or not. They preferred Barabbas wdth all his 
crimes, with his character black with the guilt of 
murder, rather than the pure, the innocent, the holy 
Jesus. And this, too, in the name of religion ! The 
infuriated wretches were sustained and urged on by 
the chief priests and elders of the Jewish church ! 
What a chapter in human depravity do we read 
here ! 

But even its darkest pages we have not yet opened. 
There is another scene in this terrible tragedy, even 
before we reach the crucifixion. 

Pilate, though a pagan, made one more effort to 
save the life of Jesus. As a last resort, with the 
hope of appeasing the rage of the infuriated mob, 
he ordered Christ to be scourged. In accordance 
with the order the soldiers seized him, dragged him 



274 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

into the common hall, and after heaping upon him 
every indignity, they platted a crown of thorns and 
put it on his head. They then smote him, and in- 
flicted upon him a variety of cruel punishments. 

While this was transpiring, the mind of Pilate 
was agitated by a message which he received from 
his wife. She " sent to him, saying, Have thou 
nothing to do with that just man, for I have suffered 
many things this day in a dream because of him." 
Pilate, therefore, went into the hall, and observed 
with strong emotion the insults and tortures which 
Christ had suffered, and the severity with which he 
had been scourged by the soldiers. Thinking that 
the vicAV of his lacerated body, and his blood-stained 
robe would move his persecutors and cause them to 
relent, he brought him forth and said, "Behold the 
man." " Look upon your victim, dejected, tortured, 
faint from loss of blood, and the pains which he has 
suffered. Has he not endured enough ? Shall I not 
now release him ? " Imagine the eager crowd looking 
up and gazing intensely upon the sufferer. But, lest 
the spectacle should excite their sympathy and cause 
them to relent, the chief priests and the ofRdfets with 
them, were the first to break the silence and to cry 
out, " Crucify him, crucify him." 

Pilate, justly indignant at this reply, said, " Take 
ye him and crucify him, for I find no fault in him." 
" The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by 
our law he ought to die, because he made himself 
the Son of God." This declaration so excited the 
fears of Pilate, that he sought another interview with 
Christ, and then continued his efforts to save him. 



TRIAL AND CONDEMNATION OF CHRIST. 275 

But the persecutors plied him with other arguments, 
saying, " If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's 
friend ; whosoever maketh himself a king, speaketh 
against Caesar." When Pilate heard that declara- 
tion, he was still more alarmed, thinking, probably, 
that his conduct in this afFau would be represented 
at Rome, and that he might be deprived of his office. 
He therefore had Jesus brought forth again, and the 
very sight of him caused the wretches who thirsted 
for his blood to cry out, "Away with him, away with 
him, crucify him." 

It was now apparent that further effort to save the 
innocent sufferer would be of no avail. And " when 
Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that 
rather a tumult was made, he took water and washed 
his hands before the multitude, saying, I am inno- 
cent of the blood of this just person, see ye to it." 
" Then answered all the people and said, His blood 
be on us and on our children." Horrible, horrible 
imprecation ! It is difficult to conceive of an utter- 
ance more awful. We cannot contemplate it with- 
out shuddering ! The chill and horror of the grave 
seem to be upon the very words. 

Then Pilate released to them the infamous Barab- 
bas, and delivered Jesus to be crucified. Although 
he had struggled long to save Christ, yet, at last, his 
selfishness was stronger than his sense of right and 
justice. 



XXII. 

THE CRUCIFIXION. 



"And he, bearing his cross, went forth into a place 

CALLED the PLACE OF A SKULL, WHICH IS CALLED IN THE 
HEBREW, GOLGOTHA, WHERE THEY CRUCIFIED HIM, AND TWO 
OTHERS WITH HIM/' St. Jollll xix. 17, 18. 

" By the dark stillness brooding in the sky, 

Holiest of sufferers ! round thy path of wo, 

And by the weight of mortal agony 

Laid on thy drooping form, and pale meek brow. 

My heart was awed ; the burden of thy pain. 

Sank on me with a mystery and a chain." 

In approaching the crucifixion of our Lord, I feel 
the inadequacy of human language to portray the 
thrilling and momentous scenes connected with this 
event. Its various features are so marked and pecu- 
liar, and so interwoven with the highest interests, as 
well as different destinies of the human family, that 
no descriptions of mine, at least, can do the subject 
justice. Indeed, human thought, probably, can pen- 
etrate but a short distance into the mysteries and 
results of this solemn tragedy. The very details of 



THE CRUCIFIXION. 277 

the process of the crucifixion, are most shocking to 
a sensitive spirit. The developments made of human 
passions and depravity, are such as excite in the in- 
genuous heart, the most intense indignation. But, 
when we think of the character of the sufferer, — 
when we connect his exalted nature with such in- 
dignities, his sublime and infinite attributes with 
such treatment, his benevolent and glorious mission 
with such cruelties, the mind is overwhelmed with 
emotion. The more we contemplate the crucifixion 
of the Son of God, the greater is our amazement 
that such fiendish passions and divine virtues should 
meet upon the same spot, and mingle in the same 
picture. We scarcely know Vhich most astonishes 
us, the ingratitude, perverseness, and cruelty of man^ 
or the condescension and love of the Son of God. 
" Without controversy, great is the mystery of godli- 
ness." Great is the mystery of an incarnate Deity, — 
of the mercy of an offended Sovereign, — of the 
love of a crucified Redeemer ! 

The sentence of death having been passed upon 
Christ, his enemies proceeded to the work of execu- 
tion. The form of punishment decided upon, was 
one of the most painful and ignominious that was 
known to the Jewish or Pagan world. It was prac- 
tised upon slaves and notorious malefactors, and was 
common among the Romans, Egyptians, Persians, 
and Greeks. It was everywhere regarded as the 
fullest expression that could be made towards an in- 
dividual, of his disgrace and infamy. Cicero speaks 
of crucifixion, as a most horrid and cruel punish- 
ment, and one that must be far, not only from the 

24 



278 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

body of a Roman citizen, but from his eyes and his 
thoughts. 

Our blessed Lord having been scourged and 
treated with every mark of cruelty and contempt 
that the malice of his enemies could devise, was 
led forth to sujffer death. Besides the officers and 
soldiers, and a large company of friends and foes 
who accompanied him, two notorious thieves were 
led forth with him, in order that his disgrace might 
thereby be increasedj and the prejudice of the public 
be the more inflamed against him. As a part of his 
punishment, he was made to bear his own cross, or 
at least the transverse beam of it, to which his 
sacred body was to be nailed. Although we cannot 
now determine, with accuracy, the path which the 
multitude pursued on their way to Calvary, yet an 
able commentator informs us that "the Street of 
Grief, or Dolorous Way, derives its appellation from 
its being the supposed site of the street through 
which the chief priests and elders, after binding 
Jesus, led him away and delivered him to Pontius 
Pilate. It proceeds from the gate of St. Stephen, up to 
an archway, which appears to have been at one time 
called ' the Gate of Judgment,' because malefactors 
were anciently conducted through it to the place of 
execution. At the period of the crucifixion, this 
gate stood near the western wall of Jerusalem ; but 
now it is in the centre of the city. The wall, above 
the archway, is supposed to have formed a part of 
the house of Pilate ; and the central window is re- 
ported to have been the place whence our Saviour 
was shown to the people. The street rises with 



THE CRUCIFIXION. 279 

a gradual ascent towards Calvary, where it termi- 
nates." 

We may, in imagination, behold the Saviour, in 
the midst of the infuriated mob and cruel soldiers, 
toiling up this ascent, and scarcely able to endure the 
burden which has been placed upon him. Exhausted 
by the tortures which he has endured, faint from the 
loss of blood, and smarting under his wounds, he at 
last sinks to the ground, unable to advance another 
step. His groans, and the agony depicted upon his 
countenance, call forth fresh insults, and expressions 
of contempt from his persecutors. He is goaded on by 
them, until at last, convinced that it is not possible for 
him to proceed, they called one Simon, a Cyrenian, 
who happened to be passing by, to bear the cross. 

This Roman custom of compelling the malefactor, 
or slave, to bear his own cross, was attended with so 
much cruelty and infamy, that " cross-bearing " be- 
came a term of the greatest reproach among the 
Romans. Plutarch makes use of it as an illustration 
of the misery produced by sin, showing that as every 
criminal had his own cross to bear, so each act of 
transgression carried with it its own torment. 

It not unfrequently happened, that the poor victim 
was pushed from one side of the street to the other, 
by the rabble, and even thrown down by some, while 
others urged him forward by acts of the grossest in- 
solence and inhumanity. We cannot doubt but 
that our blessed Lord had heaped upon him, during 
this journey, every indignity which the hatred and 
fury of his triumphant foes could devise. Indeed, it 
is supposed, with much reason too, that the scourg- 



280 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

ing which he received, and the sufferings which he 
endured on his way to Calvary, accelerated his death 
on the cross, and occasioned the surprise which 
Pilate expressed at his speedy dissolution. 

As the divine sufferer advanced towards the place 
of execution, "there followed a great company of 
people, and of women which also bewailed and 
lamented him." It certainly relieves the awful dark- 
ness of this picture, and mitigates the anguish of 
the scene, to know that there were some sincere 
mourners in this multitude, — some whose lamenta- 
tions bore witness to the sorrow and affection of 
their hearts. Nor did their sighs of sympathy and 
grief escape the notice of Jesus. He knew the 
source and the depth of this sorrow. As the pious 
women beheld their Master treated with such inso- 
lence and inhumanity, in the very city where he had 
performed so many acts of kindness, wrought such 
mighty deeds, and taught such sublime and heavenly 
truths, they could not restrain their excessive grief. 
Perhaps there were some in this crowd, who had 
been restored to health by Christ, or had received 
their sight, or had been cleansed from the leprosy, 
and what they witnessed naturally aroused the keen- 
est sorrow and indignation. To see their benefactor 
arrayed in a scarlet robe, in mockery of his claims, 
with a crown of thorns that pierces his fevered brow, 
with a reed in his hand for a sceptre, and on his way 
to execution, must have drawn floods of tears from 
even the most insensible of the group. But Christ 
does not need their commiseration. If he desired 
pity, the angels of heaven would weep for him. If 



THE CRUCIFIXION. 281 

he wished to abandon his holy enterprise, and be de- 
livered from the hands of his foes, very speedily 
might the rabble around him have been exchanged 
for the brilliant and powerful hosts from his Father's 
kingdom, who would gladly have rushed to his res- 
cue ! Very speedily would the taunts and insults 
of these wretches have been exchanged for shouts of 
hosanna to the " King of kings and Lord of lords ! " 
Or even without angelic aid, the being who had in- 
stantiy,by his power, calmed the elements and called 
the dead to life, could as easily have sent the living 
to their graves. Had he chose, he might have spread 
over every street and habitation of Jerusalem the 
silence of death. But his benevolent heart was set 
upon the redemption of a lost world. He saw into 
the future, and his eye ran along the bright train of 
results, and the glorious ends which would be at- 
tained by the sacrifice that he was making. " For 
the joy that was set before him, he endured the 
cross, despising the shame." 

Turning, therefore, to the mourners, he said in 
mild, yet emphatic tones, " Daughters of Jerusalem, 
weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for 
your children." Weep for the calamities that will 
befall this city, its towers, temple, and palaces, in 
consequence of these acts of injustice and cruelty ! 
Weep over the awful fate of its inhabitants ; over 
the fearful agonies which they will suffer, when the 
storm of divine vengeance shall burst upon them. 

And to any, who, in our day, manifest deep emo- 
tion in view of the sufferings of Jesus, he would say, 
" Weep not for me, but weep for yourselves." Weep 

24* 



282 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

over your sins committed against a just and holy 
(,Tod; over the coldness of your affections towards 
an infinite benefactor; over the slight impressions 
»that the gospel has made upon your heart Weep 
over the prevalence of vice and infidelity in the 
earth, and over the awful' doom that awaits those 
who are guilty of treading underfoot the Son of God, 
and doing despite to the Spirit of grace ! 

The company having arrived at the place of exe- 
cution, called Golgotha, or the place of a skull, 
because the bodies of criminals were buried there, 
they proceeded to the work of crucifying the Lord 
of glory. It was customary to offer to the criminal 
a strong wine, mingled with spices, in order to cheer 
his spirits, and alleviate his sufferings, by blunting 
the sensibilities. But, as though the soldiers were 
bent upon aggravating the pains of the Saviour, and 
manifesting towards him the greatest possible con- 
tempt, they offered to him vinegar, mingled with gall. 
And when he had tasted of it, that he might not 
seem to shrink from any act of humiliation, he would 
not drink it. Thus was fulfilled the words of David, 
as recorded in Psalms Ixix. 21 : " They gave me also 
gall for my meat ; and in my thirst, they gave me 
vinegar to drink." His friends offered him some 
wine, mingled with myrrh, thinking that it might 
serve to allay his pains. But he received it not, be- 
ing determined to endure, without mitigation, all the 
agonies of the crucifixion. 

The details of this mode of death are too awful, 
and too harrowing to the feelings, to be even recited. 
A learned physician, in a treatise upon the subject, 



THE CRUCIFIXION. 283 

has proved that the tortures of the crucifixion must 
have been indescribable. " Even the unnatural and 
constrained situation of the body, with the arms 
stretched upward, sometimes for days together, must 
have been an inexpressible torment; especially, as 
not the slightest motion or convulsion could take 
place, without causing excruciating pain over the 
whole body, particularly in the pierced limbs, and on 
the back mangled by previous scourging. Besides 
this, the nails were driven through the hands, and 
sometimes through the feet, exactly in places where 
irritable nerves and sinews meet, which were partly 
injured, and partly forcibly compressed, by which the 
most acute pains must have been excited, and con- 
stantly increased. As the wounded parts were 
always exposed to the air, they became inflamed. 
The same, also, probably occurred in many other 
parts, where the circulation of the blood was im- 
peded by the violent tension of the whole body." 
But we cannot proceed with the particulars of this 
cruel death ; for it is too painful to think of the inno- 
cent, the holy, the benevolent Jesus, as enduring such 
exquisite tortures. The wonder of wonders is, that 
such a being should be willing to stoop to such a 
humiliation, and offer himself up as such a sacrifice. 
Of all Christ's miracles, this is the greatest, the mira- 
cle of his love. I can almost conceive of him, as 
calling the dead to life, and hushing the wild ocean 
tempest, and giving health to the sick, and sight to 
the blind, but I cannot begin to measure the length, 
breadth, height, or depth of this display of love. My 
reason is staggered, when I am told that this sufferer 



284 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

is the incarnate Deity, — " God manifest in the 
flesh." But if angels cannot fathom the mystery, — 
if they desire to look into its depths, and are not 
able, much less can feeble man. We must wait, 
and we are willing to wait, until the light of eternity 
shall break upon this wonderful spectacle, — until 
we can see with spiritual organs of vision, some of 
the glorious results of this divine scheme of redemp- 
tion. Then may we know somewhat of the fulness 
of the meaning of that sublime declaration, " God 
so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten 
Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not 
perish, but have everlasting life." 

The scene before us is thus beautifully described 
by Croly: — 

" City of God ! Jerusalem, 
Why rushes out thy living stream ? 
Tlie turbaned priest, the hoary seer, 
The Roman in his pride are here ; 
And thousands, tens of thousands, still 
Cluster round Calvary's wild hill. 

" Still onward rolls the living tide. 
There rush the bridegroom and the bride ; 
Prince, beggar, soldier, Pharisee, 
The old, the young, the bond, the free ; 
The nation's furious multitude. 
All maddening with the cry of blood. 

*''Tis glorious morn ; from height to height 
Shoot the keen arrows of the light ; 
And glorious in their central shower, 
Palace of holiness and power. 
The temple on Moriah's brow. 
Looks a new risen sun below. 



THE CRUCIFIXION. 285 

" But wo to hill, and wo to vale ! 
Against them shall come forth a wail ; 
And wo to bridegroom and to bride ! 
For death shall on the whirlwind ride ; 
And wo to thee, resplendent shrine, 
The sword is out for thee and thine! 

" Hide, hide thee in the heavens, thou sun, 
Before the deed of blood is done ! 
Upon that temple's haughty steep 
Jerusalem's last angels weep ; 
They see destruction's funeral pall 
Blackening o'er Sion's sacred wall. 

" Still pours along the multitude. 
Still rends the heavens the shout of blood. 
But on the murderer's furious van 
Who totters on ? A weaiy man : 
A cross upon his shoulders bound. 
His brow, his frame, one gushing wound. 

" And now he treads on Calvary, 
What slave upon that hill must die ? 
What hand, what heart in guilt imbrued. 
Must be the mountain vulture's food ? 
There stand two victims gaunt and bare. 
Two culprits, emblems of despair. 

"Yet who the third ? The yell of shame 
Is frenzied at the sufferer's name ; 
Hands clenched, teeth gnashing, vestures torn. 
The curse, the taunt, the laugh of scorn, 
All that the dying hour can sting, 
Are round thee now, thou thorn-crowned King. 

'* Yet cursed, and tortured, taunted, spumed. 
No wrath is for the wrath returned, 
No vengeance flashes from the eye. 
The sufferer calmly waits to die ; 
The sceptre reed, the thorny crown. 
Wake on that pallid brow no frown. 



286 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

" At last the word of death is given, 
The form is bound, the nails are driven 
Now triumph. Scribe and Pharisee ! 
Now, Roman, bend the mocking knee ! 
The cross is reared. The deed is done, — 
There stands Messiah's earthly throne ! *' 

As it was customary, when one was crucified, 
to place upon the cross an inscription which indi- 
cated the crime for which the victim suffered, Pilate 
caused to be written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, 
these words: "This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King 
of the Jews." As the cross was near to the city, 
many of the Jews who had come up to the feast of 
the passover, observed, while passing by, this inscrip- 
tion, and were greatly enraged. And they were the 
more excited, because the declaration was made in 
Greek and Latin, as well as in Hebrew, thus afford- 
ing to foreigners and strangers who came to the j^ity, 
the opportunity of reading it. The chief priests, 
therefore, remonstrated with Pilate, and said to him, 
" Write not the king of the Jews, but that he said, I 
am the king of the Jews." " Pilate answered, what 
I have written, I have written." " You may put 
what construction you please upon the words, but I 
shall not alter them." Then the Jews, resolved not 
to be baffled in their purpose, turned the inscription 
into ridicule ; and passing by they reviled the Sav- 
iour, and insulted him in the most blasphemous 
manner. In derision, they cried out, "Ah, thou that 
destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, 
save thyself; if thou be the Son of God, come down 
from the cross." The chief priests and rulers also 



THE CRUCIFIXION. 287 

joined in the outcry, saying, " He saved others, him- 
self he cannot save." 

But in the midst of these revilings, the lips of the 
Saviour are seen to move, and the listener hears this 
wonderful prayer, " Father, forgive them, for they 
know not what they do." Oh what a contrast does 
this petition, so full of meekness, forbearance, and 
forgiveness, present to the cruel mockings of the in- 
furiated rabble! One would have supposed that 
such a prayer would have touched the hearts of the 
persecutors, — that it would, at least, have served as 
a check to that rushing tide of mockery that was 
sweeping over the sacred mount. But though it was 
powerless upon the granite-hearted multitude, yet it 
comes to us, as a new and striking evidence of the 
Saviour's love. From that gloomy and horrible 
spectacle, it seems to rise like an angel form, shed- 
ding its light upon the darkness of the scene, as it 
ascends to the throne of the Father. 

There is, however, one in this group, who does not 
participate in the revilings that are heaped upon the 
Saviour, — one whose soul is touched by the power 
of the great atoning sacrifice which is being made. 
It is a fellow-sufferer ; the penitent thief on the cross. 
After rebuking his companion for joining the rabble 
in their contempt and blasphemy, " he said unto 
Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into 
thy kingdom." In this simple and affecting petition, 
there is a distinct recognition of the innocence and 
claims of the Saviour, and of the strong faith of the 
suppliant. "And Jesus said unto him. Verily I say 
unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with me in Para- 



288 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

dise." Thus ready was he to give to the penitent 
thief the most positive assurance, that on that very 
day he should be with him in the celestial paradise, 
participating in the happiness and glory of his ever- 
lasting Idngdom. 

Christ, also, in the midst of his agonies, mani- 
fested the tender and affectionate regard which he 
entertained for his mother. Seeing her with other 
pious women at the foot of the cross, and observing, 
also, John, the beloved disciple, in the group, he said 
to his mother, "Behold thy son." Regard him with 
all the affection which you have bestowed upon me. 
And, turning to John, he said, " Behold thy mother." 
Henceforth let the endearing relation subsist between 
you of mother and son. And from that period, the 
beloved disciple took her to his home, and treated 
her with all the respect and affection due to her per- 
sonal worth and exalted station. 

These acts of mercy and filial love having been 
performed, there came over the scene a wonderful 
and supernatural change. An intense darkness rolled 
in, enveloping not only the sacred mount, but spread- 
ing over the whole land, and continuing from twelve 
o'clock at noon, until three. At the same time there 
came over the spirit of the Redeemer, a still deeper 
and more horrible darkness ; a darkness which filled 
his soul with indescribable anguish. He felt the tre- 
mendous pressure of the penalty of God's violated 
law, — that law, the claims of which he had under- 
taken to satisfy. Looking up to heaven, the throne 
of his Father seems to be vacant. No comforting 
angels are around him. No shining hosts, not even 



THE CRUCIFIXION. 289 

one bright seraph is present to mitigate the dark- 
ness of the hour. In the agony of his spirit, he 
cried out, " My God, my God, why hast thou for- 
saken me ! " 

As his sufferings drew to a close, he said, " 1 
thirst," when a soldier placing a sponge filled with 
vinegar upon a reed, put it to his mouth. Having 
received the vinegar, and thus fulfilled the prophe- 
cies relative to his sufferings, he cried out, " It is fin- 
ished." The great work of man's redemption was 
completed. All that was shadowed forth in the 
types and sacrifices of an ancient dispensation, was 
realized in the mighty events of this hour. The 
divine law was satisfied, justice vindicated, and an 
exhibition of mercy made, the glory of which would 
one day fill the whole earth. " And when he had 
cried again with a loud voice, he said. Father, 
into thy hands I commend my spirit; and hav- 
ing said thus, he bowed his head and gave up the 
ghost." 

Then followed a scene of awful solemnity, and 
terrible grandeur. The heavens were darkened, as 
though the sun was blotted from the firmament. 
The earth shook to its very centre. Even the solid 
rocks * were torn asunder. The dead were startled 
from their graves, and came forth to gaze upon the 
wonderful spectacle. They burst the doors of their 

^ Mr. Fleming informs us that a Deist who was travelling through 
Palestine, was converted by viewing one of these rocks, which 
still remains torn asunder; the fissure not being in the weakest 
part, but across the veins, showing that it was rent in a supernatural 
manner. 

25 



290 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

tombs, as forerunners of the general resurrection 
which would take place when Christ should appear 
in his great power and glory. 

The veil of the temple was rent from the top to 
the bottom, thus, throwing open the holy of holies, 
and signifying that the Mosaic ritual was abolished, 
and the wall of separation between Jews and Gen- 
tiles was thrown down. As this took place at the 
time of the evening sacrifice, the high-priest, Caia- 
phas, might at that moment have been engaged in 
burning incense before the veil, and have witnessed 
the startling indication that his office was abolished, 
that the ceremonial law had expended its force, and 
that a new and spmtual system was opening to the 
world. 

The Roman centurion, when he observed the 
terrible phenomena that accompanied the death 
of Jesus, and felt the earth trembling and rocking 
beneath his feet, glorified God, saying. Truly this was 
a righteous man, this was the Son of God. The 
soldiers, also, who were stationed to watch the cross, 
were filled with terror, and acknowledged, "truly this 
was the Son of God." 

"And all the people that came together to that 
sight, beholding the things which were done, smote 
their breasts and retm^ned." The conviction now 
began to flash upon their minds that they had, in- 
deed, crucified the long expected Messiah, — the 
King of the Jews. They smote upon their breasts, 
being filled with remorse at what they had done, 
and fearing the terrible calamities that might befall 
their nation on account of this awful crime. The 



THE CRUCIFIXION. 291 

vision of approaching armies, of stormed gates, of 
falling towers, of frantic thousands rushing through 
the streets, of the dying and the dead, floated in 
their imaginations, as they turned and walked away 
from this mournful spectacle. 



XXIII. 

RESUKRECTION OF CHRIST. 



*' And the angel said unto the women, fear not ye : for 

I know that ye seek JESUS, WHICH WAS CRUCIFIED. HE 

IS NOT HERE, FOR HE IS risen/' — Matthew xxviii. 5, 6. 

The crucifixion of Christ had left the infant 
church in tears. The bright hopes of the disciples 
had, apparently, faded av/ay, while their enemies 
were exulting in their triumph. He who was styled 
a king, — who came to establish a mighty empire, — 
who had exercised authority over the elements and 
powers of nature, was cold and silent in the embrace 
of death. The excitement attendant upon his mys- 
terious career, wonderful miracles, and sublime 
teachings, was succeeded by a sudden and dead 
calm. The faith of all who had believed in him, 
was greatly shaken. They knew not what course 
to pursue, nor to whom they could look for counsel 
or consolation. They knew not but that the next 
hour, they might be arrested, condemned, and cruci- 
fied, as the hated followers of him who had been 



RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 293 

already sacrificed. The pious women who had con- 
fided in the Messiah, and sympathized with him in 
all his sorrows, were thrown into the greatest per- 
plexity and affliction. Early in the morning of the 
third day, before the light had dawned, and while 
the streets were deserted, Mary, with several other 
devoted women, hastened to the sepulchre, bearing 
sweet spices and ointments with which to embalm 
the body of the Saviour. They desired to make 
some expression of their grief, and of their reverence 
for the departed Jesus. On their way, they were 
troubled to know how they could gain access to the 
tomb, and " they said among themselves. Who shall 
roll us away the stone from the door of the sepul- 
chre, for it was very great." They were probably 
not aware that soldiers had been stationed to guard 
the sepulchre, and therefore apprehended no obstacles 
from this source to the accomplishment of their 
pious purpose. 

On reaching the tomb, they were amazed to find 
that the stone had been rolled away, and that the 
body of Christ was not to be found. For a short 
time before their arrival, a great earthquake had 
taken place, and " the angel of the Lord descended 
from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone 
from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance 
was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow : 
and for fear of him the keepers did shake and be- 
come as dead men." At first, the forms of the 
angels were not revealed to Mary and her compan- 
ions, and they naturally supposed that the body of 
their Lord had been removed from the sepulchre. 
25* 



294 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

Under this impression, Mary hastened back to the 
vcity, to communicate the intelligence to Peter and 
John, and to secm'e their aid in finding where they 
had laid her Lord. These disciples, on receiving 
the startling tidings, hastened without the least delay 
to the sepulchre, anxious to solve the mystery which 
hung over the whole event. Entering the tomb, they 
saw the linen clothes and the napkin lying in an or- 
derly manner, indicating that the occupant had left 
voluntarily, and with the calmness and composure of 
one who had awaken from a long sleep. With their 
minds greatly perplexed, and unable to arrive at any 
satisfactory conclusion in relation to what had tran- 
spired, they returned to the city. 

But Mary, unwilling to leave the sacred spot 
where her Lord had been buried, lingered about the 
sepulchre, and gave vent to her feelings in floods of 
tears. In the hope of gaining some satisfaction, she 
again stooped down and looked into the sepulchre. 
What was her surprise to behold there two angels, 
with white resplendent forms, " the one at the head, 
and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus 
had lain." With their hearts touched with sympa- 
thy, they said, " Woman, why weepest thou ? " She 
replied, " Because they have taken away my Lord, 
and I know not where they have lain him." At that 
instant Jesus appeared, though she did not recognize 
him, and repeated the inquiry, " Woman, why weep- 
est thou ? " Having made known to him the cause 
of her grief, he again addressed her, and from the 
tones of his voice she discovered that her Lord stood 
before her. Such was the intensity of her emotions, 



RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 295 

and her excessive joy, that she could only exclaim, 
" Rabboni," that is, my Great Master ; and, uttering 
the word, she fell at his feet to embrace him. 

The question of the Saviour's resurrection from 
the dead, is one of vital moment to the scheme of 
redemption, and to the hopes of mankind. If the 
narrative which is given by the Evangelists can be 
relied upon, then is death, that last great enemy, 
conquered. The gloom of the grave, to all true be- 
lievers, is dissipated, and they may shout in triumph, 
" O death, where is thy sting ! O grave, where is thy 
victory ! " 

Let us, then, examine some of the evidences by 
which this great historical fact is supported. It is 
obvious, that our reliance for proof must be upon the 
apostles and their companions. We must summon 
them before us as the witnesses in the case, and 
judge of the validity and strength of their testimony, 
on the principles of sound argument. 

In the first place ^ ive ivould inquire into the charac- 
ter of those who testify that Christ rose from the 
dead. Were they honest, upright, sincere men ? or 
have we reason to believe that they deceived the 
people ? In applying to their characters the several 
tests usually employed in such cases, we can reason- 
ably come to no other conclusion than that these 
statements are entitled to our confidence. Had they 
been men whose greatness, or learning, or eloquence 
gave authority to their words, we might suppose 
them capable of imposing upon the community. 
But they were, most of them, illiterate and obscure 
persons, whose influence grew out of their known 



296 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

integrity, and their knowledge of the facts in the case. 
They did not pretend to possess any extraordinary 
skill in metaphysical reasoning, or in persuading oth- 
ers to believe, contrary to their own convictions; but 
simply presented the facts and evidence in the case, 
and left the argument to rest upon its own intrinsic 
merits. Their writings abundantly prove their hon- 
esty and sincerity. The several histories which they 
have left of the life, teachings, and deeds of Christ, 
bear the most decisive marks of their integrity. The 
simplicity and artlessness of the style ; the calm 
manner in which the most extraordinary and stupen- 
dous events are related; the readiness with which 
every thing adverse, as well as favorable to their 
cause, is related ; their own unbelief, and the instances 
of their unfaithfulness to their Master ; the mild lan- 
guage in which the treachery and wickedness of 
their enemies is recorded, and many other circum- 
stances, show that these are not the writings of im- 
postors. As we read their records and testimony, the 
conviction is forced upon the mind, that we are read- 
ing the writings of honest and candid men. 

Such is the nature of a fraud, in a case like this, 
and such the difficulties in the way of fully estab- 
lishing it in the minds of the people, that it would 
be almost, if not quite, impossible for an impostor to 
proceed many steps without betraying himself, or in 
some way defeating his purpose. Now the testimony 
of these disciples was not only, at the time it was 
given, thoroughly examined, but for ages it has been 
subjected to the severest scrutiny of both friends 
and foes. It has been sifted, compared with the tes- 



RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 297 

timony of other witnesses, looked at in the light of 
other facts respecting the life of Christ. The writ- 
ings of the Evangelists have been compared one 
with another, and every new investigation has af- 
forded fresh evidence of their credibility. Nor can 
the position be sustained, which has been by some 
assumed, that the disciples, though honest, were 
themselves deceived ; that such was their enthusias- 
tic regard for the Saviour, that they were easily de- 
luded. We do not hesitate to affirm, that there is 
not the slightest ground for the opinion that the dis- 
ciples were enthusiasts or fanatics. On the other 
hand, there is the most abundant proof to the con- 
trary. For, on all occasions, we find them slow to 
believe the doctrines of Christ, and the extraordinary 
facts in his history. In many instances, it is only by 
repeated instructions, and by evidence piled upon 
evidence, that their skepticism is overcome. How 
often was the Saviour called upon to censure his fol- 
lowers for their unbelief and hardness of heart! 
What reluctance they manifested to admit any thing 
that was not sustained by the evidence of facts that 
were before their eyes ! Particularly were they slow 
to believe the doctrine of Christ's resurrection. 
Thomas declared that he would not believe unless 
he saw the Saviour, and put his fingers into the print 
of the nails, and thrust his hand into his side. And 
the great majority of the disciples were unwilling to 
credit the reports which were at first circulated 
respecting the resurrection. When Christ appeared 
among them and said, " Peace be unto you," we are 
told that " they were terrified and affrighted, and 



298 LIFE SCENES OE THE MESSIAH. 

supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said 
unto them. Why are ye troubled, and why do 
thoughts arise in your hearts ? Behold my hands 
and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me and see, 
for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me 
have." And in order to fully convince them, he 
called for food and ate before them. The testimony 
of such witnesses cannot, with any reason, be branded 
with fanaticism. 

Look, in the next place, at the number and variety 
of the ivitnesses. Christ first appeared to Mary and 
her companions, who were told to inform the breth- 
ren to go into Galilee, where they would see the 
Saviour. Afterwards he appeared to Peter, James, 
and the eleven apostles ; to the disciples who were 
on their way to Emi^iaus ; to the apostles at the sea 
of Tiberias, and at one time to five hundred breth- 
ren. St. Luke states, that he " showed himself alive 
after his passion, by many infallible proofs ; being 
seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things 
pertaining to the kingdom of God." Now, it is not 
within the bounds of possibility, that so many per- 
sons could have been deceived, as the enemies of 
Christ affirm, by an illusion of the senses. They 
saw Christ at different times, and under a variety of 
circumstances, and heard him discourse upon topics 
relating to his glorious kingdom. The very print of 
the nails, and the wound in his side, were visible. 
He ate and drank before his disciples, and they had 
all the evidence of his presence that they had of the 
presence of each other. To say, therefore, that so 
many persons were deceived, and that their testi- 



KESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 299 

mony cannot be relied upon, is to destroy the foun- 
dations of all evidence. 

If we consider, too, the fact that these persons an- 
nounced the resurrection of Christ immediately after 
the event took place, and in the very city in which 
Christ had lived and taught, our argument is greatly 
strengthened. They did not wait until the excite- 
ment respecting Christ had subsided, as they would 
naturally have done, had they been impostors, but 
at once professed their belief in the resurrection. 
Neither did they go at a distance from the scene of 
the Saviour's history, but promulgated this doctrine 
in Jerusalem, and among the most bitter enemies of 
Christ. They boldly declared, that He whom the 
scribes and Pharisees had rejected, who had been 
arrested, crucified, and buried, had risen from the 
dead. Nor did they fail to gain, even from among 
those who had previously hated Christianity, and 
despised the Messiah, many converts to their doc- 
trine. Only fifty days after the crucifixion, three 
thousand Jews were convinced of the truth of this, 
as well as of all the other important facts in the Sav- 
iour's history, and they became the zealous advocates 
of the positions which they had so recently denied. 
Yes, proud and prejudiced Jews, who were so 
strongly attached to their ancient faith, and who, a 
short time previous, would have scorned the idea of 
being the followers of Jesus, yielding to the array of 
evidence that was brought before them, and to the 
influences of the blessed Spirit, became converts to 
the new religion. Soon after, the lists were swelled 
by the addition of five thousand more ; and, subse- 



300 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

quently, great multitudes, unable to hold out against 
the proofs that poured in upon their minds, embraced 
the truth. They saw that the apostles who con- 
tended so earnestly for this doctrine, were men of 
undoubted integrity, of pure and blameless lives, — 
men whose principles and teachings were in accord- 
ance with their own convictions of duty, and sense 
of right. Nay more, they saw that they povssessed 
supernatural powers, healed the sick, and restored 
the lame and blind. They heard them speak in 
different languages, and elucidate in various tongues, 
the principles and doctrines of a purer and sublimer 
faith than philosophers had ever taught, or than they 
had received from Moses. Parthians, and Medes, 
and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and 
in Judea, all heard them speak in their own tongues, 
"the wonderful works of God." 

Such proofs, so various, and coming from so many 
different sources, and so often repeated, could not be 
resisted. Even the priests, and those high in author- 
ity, who did not become converts to Christianity, 
were forced to give up the argument, and admit the 
truth of the apostles' declarations. All their efforts 
to sustain the position, that the body of Christ had 
been stolen w^hile the soldiers slept, were utterly 
unavailing. The absurdity of this idea was appar- 
ent to every reflecting mind. For as St. Augustine 
says, " Either the soldiers were asleep or awake. If 
they were awake, why should they suffer the body to 
be taken away? If asleep, how could they know 
that the disciples took it away ? How dare they de- 
pose that it was stolen ? " Besides, is it reasonable 



RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 301 

to suppose that a few timorous disciples, who had 
fled the moment that Christ was arrested, and the 
boldest of whom had trembled before a maid-ser- 
vant, and thrice denied his Lord with oaths upon his 
lips, would dare to attempt to take the body of 
Jesus, in the face of the armed forces of the king- 
dom ? Would such persons peril their lives in such 
an undertaking, and one which presented so little 
hope of success ? The very nature of the plea 
which was urged by the Pharisees and rulers, shows 
to what an extremity they were driven, in order to 
resist the proofs that flowed in upon them that Christ 
had risen from the dead. And they were ready to 
give to the soldiers large sums of money, to induce 
them to testify to this falsehood, for they saw clearly, 
that the resurrection of Christ would place their 
cause in a far worse position than though they had 
never arrested or crucified him. They saw that the 
very measures which they had adopted to crush this 
new religion, would give to it additional strength; 
would, perhaps, clothe it with a power that would 
be irresistible. And at this distance from those 
scenes, upon the stand-point that we occupy, we can 
see in how wonderful a manner God caused the 
wrath of man to praise him ; for the course pursued 
by the enemies of Christianity, resulted in giving to 
the system a force which enabled it to rise above 
and overcome the established religious institutions 
of the Jewish nation, and send forth an influence that 
is, at this day, felt throughout the civilized world. 

But there is another feature in this argument 
which should not be overlooked, and that is, the fact 

26 



302 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

that the disciples could not have been influenced by 
considerations of personal interest or advantage^ to 
deceive the people in regard to this matter. They, 
in common with others, had been looking for a tem- 
poral Messiah, who would deliver the nation out of 
the hands of its oppressors, and restore again the 
kingdom to Israel. And it was with the greatest 
difficulty that they could be induced to relinquish 
this idea, and admit the spiritual nature and ends of 
Christ's mission. They could not believe that he 
would die, although he repeatedly predicted it, and 
labored to prepare their minds for the event. And 
when the crucifixion was accomplished, and Christ 
was buried, they considered that their expectations 
and hopes were buried with him. Entertaining such 
views and feelings, it was i^n no respect for their in- 
terest to steal away the body of Christ, and pretend 
that he had risen from the dead. 

Besides, what possible hope could they have had, 
that such a story would be believed by the im- 
placable and hardhearted Jews ? These enemies, 
with the evidences of Christ's miraculous power 
and holy life and unparalleled benevolence before 
their eyes, still denounced him as an impious im- 
postor and blasphemer; still pursued him with a 
degree of malice and rage, that could only be satis- 
fied by the shedding of his blood. And will such 
men believe a story, circulated by his disciples, that 
their victim had risen from the dead ? Does it fall 
within the bounds of possibility, that they would 
credit such a fabrication, when, by so doing, they 
would virtually renounce their ancient faith, expose 



RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 303 

themselves to the public scorn, and acknowledge be- 
fore God and man that they had murdered the Lord 
of glory ? It is difficult to conceive of a company 
as embarking in a more hopeless undertaking. 
There is not the shadow of a prospect of meeting 
with success. Every thing is against them. 

In addition to all this, there was no imaginable 
advantage to be gained by the disciples, in pursuing 
such a course; on the contrary, they staked every 
thing that was dear to them. They were fully aware 
of the state of public feeling respecting those who 
were in any way connected with Christ ; and they 
knew that dungeons, tortm^es, and the worst forms of 
persecution awaited those who should attempt to 
impose such a deception upon the people. They 
knew that they had nothing to gain, but every thing 
to lose. They w^ere not madmen nor fanatics. They 
were not disposed to peril their reputation, happi- 
ness, and lives in a visionary and w^ild enterprise. 
If they faced the rack, and prisons, and storms of 
persecutions, it was because they were fully con- 
vinced that their Master had risen from the dead. 
The evidences of this great truth were before and 
within them, and no persuasion, or alarm, or threats, 
could induce them to relinquish the position which 
they had taken. They could die, but they could not 
and would not sacrifice the truth. 

This doctrine, then, of Christ's resurrection, sus- 
tained by such incontrovertible proofs, looms up as 
one of the most important and glorious facts in the 
history of our Saviour. As a miracle, it eclipses all 
that preceded it. As a doctrine, it is full of the 



304 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

richest consolations and most sublime hopes to the 
believer. As a testimony in favor of the divine mis- 
sion of the Saviour, it stands impregnable. After 
the night of gloom that followed the crucifixion, this 
doctrine rose upon the world, with the brightness 
and splendor of a morning 'sun, shedding its light 
upon the past, and pouring its glory through the ages 
of the future. We stand to-day in the light of this 
great truth. It demands our faith. Indeed, we are 
personally interested in it. For it bears upon the doc- 
trine of our own resurrection. The fact of our death 
is certain. Is our resurrection as certain ? That is 
the question of questions to us. "Will this sleep of 
death be broken ? Will the sound of the archangel's 
trump be heard in the cold, dark, long silent tomb ? 
An inspired apostle has answered in these sublime 
words, " Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall 
not all sleep, but w^e shall all be changed. In a mo- 
ment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump : 
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be 
raised incorruptible. For this corruption must put 
on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immor- 
tality." 



XXIV. 

THE WALK TO EJVJDVIAUS. 



"And their eyes were opened, and they knew him: and 
he vanished out of their sight. and they said one to 
another, did not our heart burn within us, while he 
talked with us by the way, and while he opened to 
US THE SCRIPTURES'?" — Luke xxiv. 31, 32. 

This passage will be recognized as a part of the 
interesting account we have of Christ's walk to 
Emmaus, with the two disciples, after his resurrec- 
tion. These brethren, previous to their departure 
from Jerusalem, had heard the report which was cur- 
rent, that Clirist had risen from the dead. Being the 
warm and intimate friends of the Saviom*, they nat- 
urally made this event the topic of earnest conver- 
sation. They discussed the probabilities of the truth 
of the report ; compared what they had heard, with 
the prophecies which Christ had uttered respecting 
his resurrection ; and reviewed the life, teachings, 
and mighty deeds of him who had fallen a victim to 
the rage of his enemies. 

While absorbed in their discussions, and perplexed 
by the dark mysteries that overhung the events 

26* 



306 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

which had transpired during the past three days, 
Christ joined them in the road, as one who had just 
come from Jerusalem, and was travelling in the di- 
rection in which they were going. The disciples did 
not, at first, recognize who he was ; for we are told 
that " their eyes were holden, that they should not 
know him." Through some secret, yet powerful in- 
fluence exerted upon their vision, in connection, prob- 
ably, with Christ's peculiar and supernatural appear- 
ance, they were prevented from clearly discerning 
him. 

The precise nature or character of Christ's body 
after the resurrection, we cannot fully determine. 
Some writers of acknowledged ability have taken 
the ground, that he appeared with a purely spiritual 
body, bearing, however, such a resemblance to his 
natural body, as to be recognized by his disciples. 
Others argue, that the same body that was crucified 
and buried, rose from the tomb and appeared to the 
disciples. To support the first position, reference is 
made to the fact, that Mary did not know Christ 
when he spoke to her at the sepulchre, and also to 
the remarkable instance which occurred in the walk 
to Emmaus. In this case, Christ continued with the 
two disciples for a considerable length of time, and 
conversed with them. Indeed, he argued the point 
of the resurrection with them, and entered into an 
elaborate exposition of the passages of Scripture 
which relate to his mission, sufferings, and death. 
Yet it was not until they had reached the end of 
their journey, and entered a house and sat down to 
partake of food, that " their eyes were opened and 



THE WALK TO EMMAUS. 307 

they knew him." And as soon as they recognized 
him, it appears that he vanished out of their sight. 

Soon after, he appeared in an assembly of the 
apostles while the doors were shut. His sudden 
and unexpected presence so startled them, that they 
were terrified, and supposed that they saw a spirit. 
But he said to them, " Why are ye troubled ? 
and why do thoughts, or doubts arise in your 
hearts ? " He then proceeded to prove to them that 
it was not an apparition which they saw, but that 
he was in reality present with them ; and the evi- 
dences which he adduced, furnish, in connection 
with some other circumstances, the ground of the 
position maintained by many, that his risen body 
was the same that was crucified and buried. Amid 
the conflicting views which have been advanced 
upon this subject, and the inherent difficulties con- 
nected with it, it seems to me to be the most pru- 
dent course not to attempt to settle the precise 
nature of Christ's risen body. That there was, in 
his intercom'se with his disciples, a marked difference 
in his appearance before and after the resuxrection, 
no one can deny. It is natural to suppose that the 
body must have undergone some changes in its pas- 
sage through the regions of death ; but without 
speculating upon the nature of those changes, it will 
be more to our profit to seek instruction from the 
scene before us. 

The circumstances that attended this interview 
with the Saviour, were peculiarly favorable. The 
village of Emmaus was about seven and a half 
miles from Jerusalem, and the road to it being com- 



308 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

paratively little frequented, afforded a suitable oppor- 
tunity for the most free and uninterrupted conversa- 
tion. We may imagine the two disciples walking 
together, far from the noise and distracting tumult 
of the city, and surrounded by the quiet and beauti- 
ful natural scenery that incites to religious medita- 
tion. The ties of a warm personal friendship not 
only unite them, but they are the firm disciples of 
Jesus. Their conversation turns upon the themes 
that most deeply interest them. They care little for 
the vanities of this world, its honors, riches, and 
transient pleasures. Their minds are upon higher 
and nobler pursuits. They are men who hunger and 
thirst after righteousness, — who are seeking first the 
kingdom of God, — who desire to be led into all 
truth. They wish to know the true motive and ends 
of Christ's advent, and to settle the question of his 
resurrection. We have reason to think that they 
had higher and more spiritual conceptions of the 
Saviour, than most of the other disciples, and they 
wished to remove each other's doubts, and establish 
each other in the Christian faith. They had proba- 
bly little idea of a temporal kingdom, or physical 
conquests, in connection with the Messiah's reign. 
They loved rather to think of Christ as the Prince 
of Peace, the bright and morning star, the image of 
the invisible God, the Lamb of God, the Light of 
the world. They loved to think of his pure and 
holy life, his unparalleled benevolence, his rich in- 
structions, his miracles and mighty deeds for the 
good of mankind. They doubtless recalled on this 
occasion, many scenes in his history, many instances 



THE WALK TO EMMAUS. 309 

of his kindness and love. They could not but have 
referred also to the ingratitude and perverseness of 
those whom he had come to bless, — the insults, ig- 
nominy, and tortures through which he had passed. 
The horrors of the crucifixion, with all the attendant 
circumstances, were fresh in their memory. They 
could not forget the mockings and scourgings, the 
nails, the spear, the iron clad soldiery, the malicious 
populace, the agonizing cry, " My God, my God, 
why hast thou forsaken me!" Their minds were 
thus in a state of preparation for an interview with 
the Lord of glory; and, as the Messiah delights to 
commune with those who are prepared to receive 
and welcome him, he drew near to the two pilgrims 
and engaged in conversation with them. Had they 
been men whose thoughts and conversation had 
been upon worldly things, or whose minds had been 
filled with scepticism, or idle speculation respecting 
the events in the Saviour's history, he would not 
have favored them with his presence and instructions. 
But they were in a state of mind to cordially receive 
him, to appreciate his teachings, and to receive into 
good and honest hearts the revelations of divine truth 
which he might make. Indeed, we have abundant 
ground for the belief that holy conversation, as well 
as religious meditation and prayer, attracts the notice 
and presence of the Deity. The prophet tells us, 
" Then they that feared the Lord, spake often one to 
another, and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a 
book of remembrance was written before him for 
them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon 
his name." Wherever and whenever there is suit- 



310 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

able preparation of heart for a visit from above, God 
is ready to appear, and impart consolation and 
instruction. He is confined to no locality, no par- 
ticular class, or age of the church. The laws of his 
moral kingdom are as certain and uniform in their 
operation as the laws in the material universe. His 
peculiar people, embrace all who love him, who de- 
light to dwell upon his character and perfections, 
and to converse upon his kindness and tender mer- 
cies. The partition wall between Jews and Gentiles 
is broken down, and all who have the principles of 
faith, obedience, and love in their hearts, constitute 
a chosen race, a royal priesthood unto God. The 
Saviour made to his disciples this precious promise, 
" Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of 
the VN^orld." As though he had said, "I am with 
you in the house and by the way, — with you to 
guide your footsteps, to protect you from tempta- 
tion, to illuminate your minds, and to lead you into 
all truth." As the sun shines upon the earth, im- 
parting beauty to its landscapes, and verdure to its 
fields, so Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, shines 
upon the pathway of the true Christian, revealing to 
him the beauties of the moral kingdom through 
which he passes, and guiding his footsteps towards 
the celestial city. 

Perceiving the nature of the disciples' discus- 
sions, and their reluctance to admit the fact of the 
resurrection, with the evidences that were before 
them, Christ at first reproved them by saying, " O 
fools and slow of heart to believe all that the proph- 
ets have spoken ! Ought not Christ to have suffered 



THE WALK TO EMMAUS. 311 

these things, and to enter into his glory ? " He then 
proceeded to lay before them a full and accurate ex- 
position of the passages in the ancient Scriptures 
which related to himself. Beginning with Moses, 
and going through with all the prophets, he explained 
in clear and eloquent language, and in a most im- 
pressive and convincing manner, the revelations which 
had been made respecting himself. Could this con- 
versation have been recorded, and preserved for the 
benefit of the church, it would doubtless have been 
as valuable a document as the sermon delivered on 
the mount. We should have prized it as a divine 
commentary upon the most important portions of 
the Scriptures. It would have been an authority to 
which we should have appealed for the settlement of 
controverted points, and of the meaning of obscure 
passages. It would have been a revelation upon a 
revelation, — divine light added to divine light, — 
the Deity himself condescending to explain his own 
words, uttered ages ago through his inspired servants. 
But, for wise reasons, we are not favored with a 
record of that divine exposition. Perhaps it is better 
for us to investigate for ourselves ; to search the an- 
cient Scriptures, and see wherein they testify of 
Christ. We are assured that the Old Testament is 
a mine rich in golden truths respecting the Messiah, 
and God has given us reason, judgment, conscience, 
an inward sense of what is right, just, and true, so 
that we can interpret the meaning of language, com- 
pare passage with passage, and the prophecies with 
the facts in the history of Christ. And he who thus 
uses his powers, to the extent of his advantages and 



312 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

ability, will not be deprived of the help of a divine 
exposition. For Christ will favor him as he did the 
two disciples, will walk with him and impart a 
divine illumination. There will be added to the 
knowledge gained by his ow^n toil, a divine light that 
will render his course "like the shining light that 
shineth brighter and brighter unto the perfect day." 
Christ, in his farewell discourse to his disciples, said, 
"When the Comforter is come whom I will send 
unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth 
which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of 
me." He will illuminate your understandings, dissi- 
pate your doubts, solve the mysteries that obscure 
your spiritual vision, kindle the j&res of a holy devo- 
tion and spiritual ardor, that no floods can quench, 
nor waters drown. Nor do we lack witnesses of the 
faithfulness of Christ in fulfilling his promises. For 
in every age there have been saints who have enjoyed 
this divine illumination; who have been rewarded 
for their toil to reach the summits of the mountains 
of faith, by being permitted to breathe a celestial 
atmosphere, and behold with a clear vision those glo- 
rious truths that are hidden from the view of the 
multitude who remain in the valleys of indifference 
and unbelief. 

But, let us look for a moment at the line of argu- 
ment which the Messiah pursued in this memorable 
conversation with the disciples. He went back to 
Moses, who wrote fifteen hundred years before the 
Christian era, and who predicted that " the seed of 
the woman should bruise the serpent's head ; " that 
" the sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a law- 



THE WALK TO EMMAUS. 313 

giver from between his feet, till Shiloh come." He 
doubtless referred to the promise made to Abraham, 
that in his seed all the families of the earth should 
be blessed; and to the assurance given that the 
Lord God would raise up a Prophet,* unto whom 
the people would hearken. Having explained these 
passages, we may imagine the Great Teacher taking 
the earnest listeners through the Psalms of David, 
and first calling their attention to the second Psalm, 
which is an inauguration hymn, prepared to be sung 
at the coronation of the Son of God upon the holy 
hill of Sion. There is a fulness of meaning, and a 
majesty and glory in the words repeated by Christ 
himself, as though coming from the Father. " Thou 
art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask of 
me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine in- 
heritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for 
thy possession." Next, he refers to a passage in the 
sixteenth Psalm, " For thou wilt not leave my soul 
in hell ; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to 
see corruption : " a passage directly applicable to the 
point under discussion ; and one that furnished the 
text for Peter's discourse on the day of Pentecost, a 
discourse which was blessed to the conversion of 
three thousand souls. The twenty-second Psalm 
could not have been overlooked, a portion of the 
language of which Christ appropriated to himself 
on the cross, when he cried, " My God, my God> 
why hast thou forsaken me ! " The vivid description 
given in this Psalm of Christ's intense sufferings, 

^Deuteronomy xyii. 15. 

27 



314 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

must have been dwelt upon with peculiar force, and 
also the prophetic declaration in the eighteenth verse, 
'^ They part my garments among them, and cast lots 
upon my vesture." So of the prophecies and allu- 
sions in the fortieth Psalm, the forty-fourth, the sixty- 
eighth and ninth, the hundred and tenth, and others. 
They all famished abundant and rich materials for 
the discourse of the Saviom', and in the hands of a 
divine commentator we do not wonder that they 
carried conviction and joy to the minds of the 
hearers. 

But, as Christ in the prosecution of his argument 
entered upon the prophecies of Isaiah, who is justly 
called the evangelical prophet, how must his lan- 
guage have glowed with a supernatural fervor and 
divine eloquence ! "With what a deep pathos, and an 
overpowering strain of close reasoning must he have 
followed the prophet's description of his birth, life, 
mighty deeds, sufferings, and death ! We may al- 
most hear the sublime words as they fall from his lips, 
" For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, 
and the government shall be upon his shoulder: 
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, 
the mighty God, the Prince of Peace." With what 
force does he then appeal to his career, as an accu- 
rate fulfilment of the fifty-third chapter, in which we 
read, " He is despised and rejected of men ; a man 
of sorrows and acquainted with grief: and we hid 

as it were our faces from him Surely he hath 

borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows He 

was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened 
not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the 



THE WALK TO EMMAUS. 315 

slaughter, and as the sheep before hei' shearers is 
dumb, so he opened not his mouth." When the dis- 
ciples perceived the bearing of these prophecies, ut- 
tered seven hundred years before, upon the history 
of Jesus, they could not but have been amazed at 
then* previous slowness of heart, in believing all that 
the prophets had written concerning him. This ar- 
gument, coolly examined by the Christian under any 
circumstances, carries with it an irresistible power. 
But, glowing with the beauty and fervor imparted to 
it by divine lips, it could not fail to be deeply im- 
pressive. The pious travellers saw its force as they 
had never seen it before. They saw, too, in a new 
light, the whole of the ancient Scriptures, — the 
harmony of the writers, the unity of design that 
pervaded all the manuscripts. Around the sacred 
writings there shone a divine light, that revealed 
their beauties, excellences, and glories. The disci- 
ples saw how wonderfully the divine attributes of 
wisdom and goodness were displayed in God's deal- 
ings with mankind. The plan of redemption ap- 
peared clearer to their minds than ever before. Its 
spiritual nature, its provisions for satisfying the 
demands of the law, the vast reach of its benevolent 
designs, the necessity that Christ should suffer and 
die to bring the scheme to perfection, were points 
upon which they were specially enlightened. 

But we hasten to speak of the effects of this dis- 
course npon their minds. This is given in their own 
language, for they said one to another, " Did not our 
heart burn within us while he talked with us by the 
way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures?" 



316 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

Their emotions were such as they had never before 
experienced. They were filled with an intense love 
for the Saviour, a burning enthusiasm for his cause, 
and a strong and holy regard for divine truth. No 
sooner did they discover who it was that had been 
so eloquently addressing them, than they hasten back 
to Jerusalem to assm-e the apostles that they had 
seen Jesus. Their faith was confirmed not only in 
the doctrine of the resurrection, but in all the doc- 
trines of the Christian system. They saw that 
Christ was the all in all, — the chiefest among ten 
thousand, and the one altogether lovely. The glories 
of divine truth opened before their minds in all their 
splendor. The dark clouds that hung around their 
pathway on the morning of that memorable day, 
were all dissipated. The Sun of Righteousness rose 
upon them never again to set. 

Their gratitude and love were also awakened. 
They could not but have felt under the greatest and 
most lasting obligations for the divine condescension 
which had been shown towards them. They had 
walked with the King of kings and Lord of lords. 
They had listened to the instructions of Him who is 
now exalted far above all principalities and powers, 
and has a name that is above every name. 

Their joy, too, was excessive. No language could 
express it. Their hearts burned within them while 
the Saviour talked with them, and opened to them 
the Scriptures. They had, doubtless, a foretaste of 
the rapture and glories of heaven. And now, from 
the heights of the celestial city, they look back upon 
that day as the most blessed of their lives. For not 



THE WALK TO EMMAUS. 317 

only had their Saviour risen, but he had opened to 
them the Scriptures. They had enjoyed the sweetest 
and most delightful intercourse with him. The very 
road to Emmaus was sacred in their estimation, for 
it bore the footprints of the Lord of glory. 

"Abide with us — the evening shades 
Begin ah*eady to prevail ; 
And as the ling'ring twilight fades, 
Dark clouds along the horizon sail. 

" Abide Avith us — the night is chill ; 
And damp and cheerless is the air ; 
Be our companion, stranger, still. 
And thy repose shall be our care. 

" Abide with us — thy converse sweet 
Has well beguiled the tedious way ; 
With such a friend we joy to meet, 
"We supplicate thy longer stay. 

" Abide with us — and still unfold 
Thy sacred, thy prophetic lore ; 
What w^ond'rous things of Jesus told ! 
Stranger, we thirst, we pant for more. 

"Abide with us — and still converse 
Of him who late on Calvary died, 
Of him the prophecies rehearse ; 
He was our friend they crucified." 

Raffles. 

27* 



XXV. 

CHRIST'S ASCENSION. 



"And it came to pass while he blessed them, he was 
parted from them, and carried up into heaven. and 
they worshipped him, and returned to jerusalem with 
GREAT JOY." — St. Luke xxiv. 51, 52. 

We now approach the closing scene in our Sav- 
iour's earthly career. The great objects for which he 
left his throne of glory and became incarnate, had 
been accomplished. His holy life was before man- 
kind as their great example. He had unfolded his 
system of truth, which, as a mighty moral force, was 
destined to renovate and bless society. His church 
was established, — the apostles commissioned, — the 
divine aid pledged to all true believers, and the last 
great command given to his followers. He had laid 
the foundations of a new and spiritual empire, — an 
empire that would rise upon the ruins of all hostile 
kingdoms, and extend over the continents and 
islands, until every knee was made to bow, and 
every tongue acknowledged the authority of the 
Supreme King. 



CHRIST'S ASCENSION. 319 

And now the hour had arrived when Christ must 
bid farewell to his disciples, and return to the courts 
of his Father. He had remained upon the earth 
forty days after his resurrection, in order that this 
fact in his history might be established beyond all 
doubt. At the expiration of this period, he com- 
manded his disciples not to depart from Jerusalem, 
but to remain and prepare their minds, by public de- 
votion and private prayer, for the glorious event 
which was about to take place. They were to wait, 
too, for the fulfilment of the promise of the Father, 
that they should receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 
This promise had been repeatedly made to them, to 
console them under the departure of their Lord. 
Just before the ascension, Christ said to his disciples, 
" For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall 
be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days 
hence." " Though I shall be taken from you, and ye 
shall see my face, and hear my voice, and receive 
my counsels no more, yet the Comforter will come, 
who will cheer and refresh you, and guide you into 
all truth. Heavenly influences will descend and rest 
upon you, imparting a divine illumination, sustain- 
ing you under trials, enabling you to obtain the vic- 
tory over your enemies, and giving a foretaste of 
those joys that will be experienced when we meet in 
a brighter and more glorious state of being." Having 
thus fortified the minds of the disciples, he led forth 
the faithful band out of the city, and passing the 
brook Kedron, came to the Mount of Olives, and 
paused on the eastern side near the town of Beth- 
any. This mount is described as being about a mile 



320 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

in length, and seven hundred feet in height; and as 
affording a most beautiful and magnificent view of 
Jerusalem and the surrounding country. All the 
streets, public buildings, and walls of the city are 
distinctly visible from its summit. Here the Saviour 
had that memorable view of the city, when his emo- 
tions were so intense that he wept over it, saying, 
" If thou hadst known, at least in this thy day, the 
things that belong to thy peace : but now they are 
hid from thine eyes." 

From other points, the views are extremely rich 
and grand. One traveller says, " We were conducted 
.to the end of a ridge stretching three quarters of a 
mile from the central height, in order to enjoy the 
view eastward, which is very extensive. The plains 
of Jordan, the mountain beyond, the Dead Sea, and 
the dark and singular chain of mountains on the 
east of it, were in full view. Some of us thought 
that we could see the waters of the Jordan : but al- 
though this was uncertain, we could easily trace the 
course of the river through the plain, by the verdure. 
Beyond it, towered the lofty mountains of Moab, 
rising peak above peak, in great majesty, including 
among them Mount Nebo." 

Upon this beautiful and sacred eminence, stood 
the Lord of glory, surrounded by his warm and de- 
voted friends. It was early in the morning, while 
the dew was fresh upon the trees and flowers, the 
atmosphere clear and invigorating, and the mountain 
bathed in the glories of the rising sun. Angels were 
winging their way towards the summit, to partici- 
pate in the solemn grandeurs of the hour, and to 



CHRIST'S ASCENSION. 321 

attend the great King on his return to his celestial 
throne. Amid all ranks of spiritual existences, a 
profound interest was felt in this great occasion. 

The Saviour, raising his hands towards heaven, 
pronounced upon his disciples a divine blessing. 
While engaged in this benevolent act, — while the 
words of wisdom and love were falling from his lips, 
he was suddenly parted from them, and borne away 
in the clouds towards heaven. As though seated in 
a glorious chariot, surrounded by myriads of holy 
and resplendent beings, he ascended far above all 
principalities and powers, to take his station at the 
right-hand of God. The disciples gazed upon the 
spectacle with mingled feelings of wonder, awe, and 
admiration. They looked, we are told, steadfastly 
towards heaven, watching the bright crimson cloud, 
and the form of the Saviour, as they gradually re- 
ceded from the view, and at last vanished out of 
their sight. 

From what they had seen of Christ's mighty 
deeds, and especially after his wonderful victory over 
death and hell, they were in a measure prepared for 
this sublime termination of his career. But the 
majesty and glory of the scene surpassed their most 
vivid conceptions. They were filled, the Evangel- 
ists tell us, with great joy. They forgot the suffer- 
ings and humiliation of Christ, in the triumphs of 
this hour. They forgot the mocldngs and cruel 
insults of the mob, in the reverence and love mani- 
fested towards the Saviour by the angelic hosts. 
They forgot the toilsome ascent up Mount Calvary, 
in their enthusiastic rapture at beholding the illustri- 



322 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

ous ascension of the Lord of glory. They forgot, 
too, thek own trials and dangers. Their souls were 
lifted above the world, above the influence of its 
threats, or its hatred. They returned to Jerusalem 
with great joy, and were continually in the temple 
praising and blessing God. One unceasing anthem 
of praise poured forth from their lips. "And they 
went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord work- 
ing with them and confirming the word with sign^ 
following." Throughout the Roman Empire they 
preached the glorious gospel of the blessed God, — 
their earnest and eloquent words being confirmed 
by displays of miraculous power. 

Among the historical evidences that commend the 
fact of the ascension to our faith, we might refer to 
Christ's own predictions of the event. On several 
occasions he comforted his friends with the assur- 
ance, that he was going to prepare a place for 
them, — a place where their mourning would be 
turned into rejoicing, where no trials would afflict 
them, no foes molest them ; but where they would 
breathe an atmosphere of universal love. While 
exhibiting himself as the bread of life he said, " What 
and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where 
he was before." And on the day of his resurrection 
he said to Mary, " Go to my brethren and say unto 
them, I ascend to my Father and your Father, to 
my God and your God." There was also a vital 
connection between Christ's ascension and resurrec- 
tion. Had he left the earth in any other than a 
supernatural manner, the influence of the docfa'ine 
of the resurrection would have been at once de- 



Christ's ascension. 323 

stroyed. For having risen from the grave, he ap- 
peared before his followers as the conqueror of 
death ; as one whose nature was not vulnerable to 
the darts of the destroyer. He had also proved that 
he had supreme control over all the elements of 
nature, — proved the truth of his declaration, "All 
power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." 
And shall he, after so triumphant a career, fail at the 
lg.st ? Shall he fail of fulfilling his own predictions, 
when the failm^e would be disastrous to his cause, 
to the hopes of his followers, and to the spiritual in- 
terests of the world? 

But we have in the Old Testament intimations of 
the ascension of the Lord of glory. The twenty- 
fourth Psalm is supposed by distinguished waiters to 
refer to this event. Though written primarily in 
reference to the removal of the ark of God to Jeru- 
salem, and used, perhaps, when the sacred treasures 
were deposited in the temple, yet it is the opinion of 
able commentators that the Jehovah of this Psalm is 
Christ, and that his entrance into the celestial king- 
dom, is the event here celebrated. Viewed in this 
light, the language is in the highest degree thrilling 
and sublime. " Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and 
be ye lift up ye everlasting doors : and the King 
of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory ? 
The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in 
battle." To have the scene fully before the mind, 
we must conceive of the Saviour as leaving the 
earth in a chariot of brilliant clouds, attended by 
holy angels, and approaching the everlasting gates 
of the city of God. As they draw near, the angels, 



324 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

in a chorus of the sweetest melody, summon those 
who are within the walls to throw wide open the 
gates and admit the Lord of glory. We must sup- 
pose that the occasion attracts a vast multitude, who 
crowd near to the gates, and upon the walls, and 
who, in their anxiety to know from whom this sum- 
mons comes, ask, Who is this King of glory ? Who 
is this distinguished and royal personage, for whom 
the everlasting gates must be opened ? The attend- 
ant angels, in tones of joy and exultation, reply, 
" The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in 
battle." The great Conqueror who has obtained the 
victory over sin, death, and hell, — the leader of the 
armies of Jehovah, — the founder of a spiritual and 
glorious empire, he is the Lord of glory. Such is the 
majesty of the occasion, that the summons and the 
reply are repeated, when the gates swing open, and 
the King enters with his vast and brilliant retinue, 
and takes his seat upon the throne of the universe. 

This doctrine of the ascension we regard as a 
cardinal principle in the system of Christianity. It 
is the topmost stone of the spiritual edifice which 
the Saviour erected upon the earth. Jt is the dome 
of the great temple to which the nations are invited, 
and where they will all one day assemble for wor- 
ship. It is a doctrine in the truth of w~hich we are 
individually and specially interested. If the angels, 
for whom Christ had not died, exulted in his entrance 
into heaven, how much more should we rejoice in 
this event; we who are the recipients of the rich 
and priceless benefits that flow from it. Could we 
fully realize the magnitude and glory of this miracle 



CHRIST'S ASCENSION. 325 

of miracles, — this mightiest of Christ's mighty- 
deeds, — could we see its bearings upon our condi- 
tion and destiny, and upon the divine government, — 
could we gaze with an undazzled vision upon the 
glories that it throws over the past history of the 
Messiah, we should join the angelic hosts in their 
anthems of praise. One shout of triumph would 
ascend from the universal church, in honor of the 
ascension of the Lord of glory. 

It is interesting to trace our personal connection 
with this, as well as every other event and achieve- 
ment in the history of Christ. For us the Messiah 
became incarnate, assumed our nature, and exposed 
himself to the hardships and dangers attendant upon 
a career in this revolted province of his Father's em- 
pire. To furnish us with a perfect example, he lived 
and was tempted in all points like as we are. Upon 
the cross, he was our representative, being wounded 
for our transgressions, and satisfying for us the de- 
mands of God's violated law. He entered the grave 
for us, conquered death and hell for us, and rose 
from the tomb to establish the fact of our own res- 
urrection. And now, in his ascension, our nature is 
restored to the position of honor and dignity that it 
occupied before the fall. The believer may com- 
mune with the Deity, as did our first parents in the 
garden, walk with him, receive his instructions, and 
those holy influences that he is ready to impart to 
those who love him. We are warranted in affirming 
that our nature has, in the person of Christ, ascended 
to glory; and Christ sitting at the right hand of 
God, forms the connecting link between divinity and 

28 



326 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

humanity. He is our representative at the royal 
courts of heaven, and the language addressed to the 
Ephesians may be applied to all the disciples ; that 
God "hath quickened us together with Christ, and 
hath. raised us up together, and made us sit together 
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That in the ages 
to come he might show the exceeding riches of his 
grace, in his kindness towards us, through Christ 
Jesus." In this passage we have not only a clear 
recognition of our connection with the resurrection 
and ascension of Christ, but a pledge or security 
that what he accomplished will be accomplished for 
us ; that, though the death sentence is upon the 
race, and the gloom of the grave must be encoun- 
tered, yet that the grave will be conquered, and these 
bodies rise and ascend to glory. The declaration 
that " God hath quickened us together with Christ," 
carries with it this pledge. The life principle is vk- 
tually imparted to the disciple. As Christ elsewhere 
expresses the same idea, " He that believeth in me 
shall never die ; because I live, ye shall live also." 
'' Because I ascend in glory to my Father's kingdom, 
ye shall also ascend in glory. Because I am exalted 
and enthroned as a King, ye shall be constituted 
kings and priests unto God." 

The nature and grandeur of that exaltation to 
which Christ has attained, and the splendors that 
surround him in a glorified state, our imperfect pow- 
ers do not enable us to comprehend. We must be- 
lieve, however, that he who wrought such triumphs 
here, and reflected such honor upon the divine gov- 
ernment, and who ascends to receive the rewards 



CHRIST'S ASCENSION. 327 

due to his character and achievements, must be sur- 
rounded by a glory which cannot be surpassed, and 
receive an homage which is rendered alone to a 
divine being. The simple fact that Christ has gone 
where the attributes of his divinity may shine forth 
in their full splendor, and where his excellence and 
holy virtues are universally acknowledged^ is enough 
to convince us of the glory of his exalted position. 
" What," says one, " though the heavens have re- 
ceived him out of our sight? there have come mes- 
sages from those heavens informing us of his solemn 
enthronement as ' King of kings and Lord of lords ; ' 
and notes of the celestial minstrelsy are borne to 
mortal ears, celebrating the son of the virgin as the 
great ' I am,' who was, and is, and is to come. And 
it is in consequence of such messages, that thousands 
and tens of thousands of the inhabitants of this 
earth bow at the name of Jesus, and that vast ad- 
vancements have already been made towards a 
splendid consummation, when the sun, in its circuit 
round our globe, shall shine on none but the wor- 
shippers of the Lamb that was slain." 

The Christian, also, should exult in the fact, that 
Christ by his ascension places himself in a position 
where he can render to the church more effectual 
service than though he had remained upon the earth. 
He is near to the eternal throne, at God's right hand. 
He is our great advocate before the Father, ready 
at all times to pour forth his divine eloquence in our 
behalf, ready to plead his own merits as the ground 
of our justification and sanctification. He appears 
in the royal courts of heaven as our representative, 



328 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

fitted in every way for his exalted station, and quali- 
fied to render to every member of the human family 
the most important and valuable services. He 
knows, by experience, our necessities ; knows the 
trials and temptations that surround the Christian ; 
the conflicts and struggles through which he must 
pass to secure the prizes of immortality. He knows, 
too, just what influences we need to preserve the 
soul in the hour of danger, to increase our faith, 
and stimulate us in the divine life. 

In this station, he can most effectually fulfil his 
promise to be with all his disciples, even unto the 
end of the world. Had he remained upon the earth, 
he would have occupied but one locality at one 
time, and would have communicated personally with 
comparatively but few of his followers. Now, how- 
ever wide may be his church, o.r numerous his fol- 
lowers, he can at the same moment watch over their 
interests, listen to their prayers, and send down upon 
them the richest of heaven's blessings. As the 
water is first lifted from the ocean and converted 
into clouds, that extend over the islands and conti- 
nents, and thence descends in fertilizing showers, so 
Christ has ascended far above all principalities and 
powers, that he may more extensively and abundant- 
ly bless his followers. And all who approach him in 
faith, may partake of the benefits that he is ready to 
impart. 

There is another special reason why we should re- 
joice in the ascension, and that is, its connection 
with the gift of the Holy Spirit. " If I go not 
away," said Christ, "the Comforter will not come 



CHRIST'S ASCENSION. 329 

unto you : but if I depart, I will send him to you." 
Why the departure of Christ was necessary to the 
descent of the Spirit, we are unable to determine. 
It is sufficient for us to know the fact, that the ascen- 
sion was thus connected with the reception of this 
gift. As Christ had established a purely spiritual 
empire, and one that was to be advanced by spiritual 
agencies, it seems in accordance with his plans that 
he should withdraw his bodily presence, and that the 
third person of the glorious Trinity should carry for- 
ward the great work which he had commenced. In 
the scheme of redemption, we have thus distinctly 
developed the agency of each of the persons of the 
Trinity. Had not the influences of the Spirit been 
granted, we know not but that the sufferings and 
death of Jesus would have failed of securing the re- 
generation and sanctification of men. Such is the 
extent of the alienation of our race from the Father, 
and such the depth and strength of human deprav- 
ity, that the agency of the Spirit was necessary to 
render operative and eflectual the atoning sacrifice 
of Christ. Without this influence, even the tremen- 
dous pressure of motive that comes from Gethsemane 
and Calvary, — from the teachings of Christ, — from 
the revelation he made of the eternal world, would 
not have been sufficient to bring man to the exercise 
of repentance and faith. The apostles, themselves, 
who had enjoyed the personal instructions of the 
Saviour, needed the aid of this Spirit to enable them 
to maintain their faith amid the bitter storms of per- 
secution that raged around them. They needed it 
in their struggles against systems of idolatry, and in 



330 LIFE SCENES OF THE MESSIAH. 

their labors to plant among the nations the institu- 
tions of Christianity. The sacred historians needed 
this Spirit to keep them from error, and to guide 
them into all truth. "We need it, to open to our un- 
derstandings the Scriptures, apd to carry home to our 
hearts those principles that will make us wise unto 
salvation. 

The goodness of Christ, therefore, is displayed in 
his departure from the earth, as well as in his advent. 
And we should rejoice that while we have an elo- 
quent advocate at God's right hand, there is also 
abroad in the earth a converting and sanctifying 
agency, — a spiritual power that is moving upon the 
nations, regenerating the hearts of men, and prepar- 
ing multitudes to ascend to heaven and reign with 
Christ amid the joys and splendors of his everlasting 
kingdom. 



END. 



